Behind Brown Eyes
by Bird in Blue
Summary: As brown eyes met blue, Maggie could not help but wonder - how had she gone from hating Charlie Weasley's guts for the better part of a decade to suddenly feeling weak at the knees around him?
1. Chapter 1

**Hi all! Here is the first chapter of 'Behind Brown Eyes'. Some of you may have read my earlier story 'Annie, are you okay?', so you may be familiar with the concept. This IS a rewrite of that story but there are some significant changes - the first one you'll spot straight away! **

**This is a Charlie Weasley/Original Character story as there aren't nearly enough of them. I plan to update once a week, usually on a Friday or Saturday but please bear with me. **

**Thanks for reading and enjoy! Reviews are always appreciated!**

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_Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step._

_\- **Martin Luther King Jr.**_

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_September 1984_

It was a dreary day in early September when Maggie pushed her way through the crowds of commuters in Kings Cross Station. Her newly-found trolley was laden with luggage, and on top of it all, sat a cage holding a small brown owl, which had earned a few questioning looks from passer-by's. Her father walked beside her, quickening his pace. He was surprised at just how fast his small daughter could walk. Every so often, William would look up at the platform signs, checking to make sure they were headed in the right direction.

"Hurry up, Dad!" Maggie cried, narrowly avoiding a man who rushed past the small girl. "I'll miss the train!"

William chuckled, and ruffled his daughter's hair. "We still have plenty of time," He said, grinning at his daughter's annoyed expression. "Calm down, Maggie. The train doesn't leave until eleven."

"Yes, but you know what we're like," Maggie pointed out. "And knowing you, you'll get distracted and start talking to someone, and I'll miss the train!"

"You are not going to miss the train," William told her firmly. "I'll make it wait for you."

Maggie gave a half-smile. "Even you couldn't do that, Dad," She said.

Smiling, William placed his hand on the trolley and guided it and Maggie towards an uncrowded part of the platform. It was their first time in London and he didn't want to lose his daughter, especially today of all days. Maggie saw the puzzled and disgruntled looks of passing people, as the owl perched on her trolley attracted some funny looks. She shifted slightly, uncomfortable at the stares she and her father were receiving. Though she was used to being treated differently, it still made her self-conscious.

"What platform did your ticket say, Maggie?" William asked as the two stopped by Platform 9. Maggie fished the ticket from her jacket pocket and read it with a frown.

"Dad, I think there was a misprint on the ticket," She said, her brow furrowing in confusion. "It says Platform 9¾! But that can't be right, can it?" Maggie asked as she handed William the ticket.

He too frowned, before looking around the station. After muttering a few words to Maggie, he walked over to where a conductor stood. Maggie watched as he spoke to the conductor, showed him the ticket, and pointed out the mistake. The conductor too frowned, before hailing over a station guard and gestured to the ticket. Maggie was just about to walk over when she heard her father speak.

"What do you mean there's no train called the Hogwarts Express?"

Instantly, Maggie's heart dropped. She heard the guard's laugh and was suddenly back in primary school; where the other children constantly laughed at her because she was different. Her stomach began to somersault as she slowly realised that all of this had been one big joke. But it had all been so realistic! Diagon Alley, Professor Sprout who had appeared in her living room a few weeks previous, everything! There was an owl on her trolley, for Christ's sake!

In her panic, Maggie did not see her father walk back over until he placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him with wide eyes and saw his stony expression, typically reserved for the most awkward of customers back at the pub. He was still muttering to himself, looking around the station with a glare.

"What's going to happen now, Dad?" Maggie asked hesitantly, afraid of what his answer would be.

William looked down at his daughter, the stony expression instantly replaced with a soft, kind smile. He crouched down so that he was eye level with his daughter – a mighty feat considering Maggie was considerably small for an eleven-year-old.

"I'll tell you what we're going to do, Mags," William said calmly, a small smile tugging on his lips. "We are going to find this Platform 9¾, and you are going to Hogwarts and learn all about magic, just like Professor Sprout showed us."

"But what about the train?" Maggie asked skeptically. "What if we can't find it and I miss it? Then what?"

William chuckled and reached out for his daughter's hand.

"If that happens, and that's a very big _if_, then I'll take you to the school myself," He said, making Maggie smile widely. He rose back to his full height and they each grabbed hold of the trolley. "Come on then, we've got a train to find."

For once, Maggie was thankful for her father's insistence on arriving early. It gave them plenty of time to search the station thoroughly. They asked numerous people if they knew where the platform was but were met with the same reply as the guard had given them. One man had even called them crazy, making Maggie falter slightly. He quickly retreated, however, after William looked as though he was about to punch him.

Eventually, Maggie stood on Platform Nine once again, her father still looking around. She closed her eyes tightly, trying to block out all the noise of the station, and tried to remember what Professor Sprout had told her.

_Please, _she thought, _please, I can't go back now! _

She couldn't bear another day stuck in the little town she lived and going to the local school, where she was known as a freak - it was absolute hell! She hated it and everyone. The only person she had was her father, and, although she knew he was sometimes a bit surprised at her actions, he loved her.

_Please, please, please! Please, Mum, just give me a sign!_

Maggie opened her eyes and blinked, only seeing an orange blur. After a few moments, her eyes focused and she realised the orange blur was a family of redheads. Led by a small, plump woman, Maggie watched a boy a few years older than herself pushing a trolley walked straight towards the barrier between Platforms 9 and 10. Maggie flinched, waiting for the impact but it never came.

Wide-eyed, she watched as another of the redheads, this time ran towards the barrier and disappeared again. Maggie looked round, amazed how no one had seen this. Her father appeared next to her and was about to speak but Maggie tugged his sleeve and pointed towards the family, cutting him off.

"Look, Dad!" She exclaimed. The rest of the redheaded family slowly disappeared through the barrier, from the redheaded identical twins to the older, slightly balding man carrying a small toddler. Maggie watched as William's expression mirrored her own, one of pure shock and amazement. After a moment, he chuckled, rubbing his chin in disbelief.

"If only your mother could have seen this," He murmured, and Maggie looked down sadly. William saw this and quickly clapped his hand on Maggie's back. "Well then, Maggie, I do believe you've got a train to catch."

Maggie smiled widely, before pushing her trolley towards the barrier eagerly. She was barely a foot away, looking at it with an expression of curiosity and wariness when another trolley crashed into her own with a loud _crash! _Both trolleys were sent tumbling down, as was Maggie and the other person. Slightly dishevelled, Maggie stood up quickly, brushing some dirt off her skirt before picking up the owl cage.

"Shh Gatsby," Maggie said gently. "It's okay."

Maggie turned around and held out a hand to the girl on the floor. The girl smiled gratefully, taking Maggie's hand, and shakily stood up. She was taller than Maggie but appeared to be of a similar age. Her dark eyes had a mischievous twinkle to them as she looked at Maggie with gratitude.

"Are you okay?" Maggie asked.

"Yeah, thank you," The girl smiled. "I am so sorry, by the way. This happens all the time; I'm super clumsy! Mum and Dad told me to be careful, but I was just so excited, and I didn't see you coming!"

"Don't worry about it, I know what you mean," Maggie said with a smile.

"Oooh, cute owl! What's he called?"

Maggie was just about to reply she heard a shout from behind. The girl groaned and looked over her shoulder and Maggie could see two people, whom she assumed were the girl's parents, running over. Hesitantly, Maggie stepped back slightly, just as the girl's parents reached her.

"Dora!" The woman exclaimed. "We told you not to run off!"

"Sorry, Mum! I was just too excited! But look! We're both okay!" Dora protested. The woman's gaze shifted from her daughter to Maggie, who was still stood awkwardly. She smiled kindly.

"I apologise for my daughter's behaviour; she can be a bit of a whirlwind."

Maggie smiled shyly, just as her father stepped forward.

"It's no problem, Maggie is just as excited. Hogwarts?" He asked, hopefully.

Ted nodded, "Yes, its Dora's first year."

William relaxed slightly, placing a hand on Maggie's shoulder with a smile.

"Same for Maggie," He said. "I don't think she slept at all last night, she was that eager," William said.

"Dora was exactly the same," The blonde-haired man said, speaking for the first time. "You'd think they'd been drinking coffee all night, the energy they have!"

All three parents chuckled while Maggie and Dora exchanged smiles. Maggie noticed how Dora's hair seemed to be lighter than the previous brown it had been but put it down to the lighting.

"Forgive me, I'm William Ainsworth, and this is my daughter Magnolia," William said.

Maggie scowled at her full name, only her aunt called her that. Dora's father shook William's hand with a smile, as did her mother.

"Ted Tonks," He replied with a grin. "And this is my wife, Andromeda, and my daughter, Nymphadora."

Like Maggie, Dora scowled at her full name, something that went unnoticed by her parents. Maggie smiled slightly, already liking the girl. William looked down at his wristwatch and then back at Maggie.

"We'd best get going," He told her before looking back at Ted. Looking around the station, he leaned slightly closer to Ted. "You wouldn't know how to get on to the platform, would you? We've been here an awfully long time, and we're a bit lost."

"Muggles?" Ted asked with a chuckle. At William and Maggie's lost expression, he continued. "Non-magic folk."

"Yes," William replied. "No one explained it to us."

"Don't worry, Ted was the same," Andromeda smiled. "You just go through that barrier there, it's designed to ward off muggles, but you should be fine."

William thanked them both and turned to look at the barrier. Maggie grabbed her trolley but turned back to Dora quickly.

"See you on the train?" She asked shyly.

Dora's nod made Maggie smile and she returned the girl's wave as Dora left with her parents. Both Maggie and William still watched in amazement as the Tonks' family disappeared through the barrier. Maggie could have sworn Dora's hair flashed bubble-gum pink when she turned back and gave Maggie a cheeky grin, but the girl vanished before Maggie could be sure.

Her father's hand on her shoulder snapped Maggie out of her daze. "Nervous?" He asked with a kind smile.

Maggie's timid expression and fidgeting were enough to answer his question. Instead of speaking, he took her hand and placed his free hand on the handlebar of the trolley. Maggie frowned, raising an eyebrow in question, and looked up at William.

"Together," William said, looking up at the barrier then back down at Maggie.

Maggie nodded determinedly, albeit slightly anxious. Together, the pair pushed the trolley towards the barrier, picking up speed as they began to run, both slightly terrified of what would happen next.

"One," William said.

"Two," Maggie continued, eyeing the barrier nervously.

"Three!" They said together, running towards the barrier. Just as they reached the barrier, Maggie closed her eyes, part of her disbelieving and waiting for the impact which never came.

Opening her eyes, Maggie's mouth fell open in amazement as she took in her surroundings. She could practically feel the magic around her, from the impressive scarlet red train that seemed to gleam in the light, to the numerous cats that weaved between the crowd, and to the light-hearted laughter of friends reuniting, and parents smothering their children with hugs.

Looking up at her father, Maggie saw that his expression mirrored her own. Smiling, she tugged his arm and he blinked before looking down at his daughter. With a bright smile, he suggested that they go find a compartment for Maggie on the train, and Maggie rapidly nodded her head in agreement.

After weaving through the crowd and Maggie finally settled in a compartment, Maggie and her father stood awkwardly on the platform. Both knew what was next, but this was the moment they had both been dreading for weeks.

In the end, Maggie's arms wrapped around William's body as her father pulled her into a hug. Her head pressed against his chest and her stomach dropped when she realised that this would be the last time she hugged her father till Christmas.

"Don't forget to feed Peggy, you know how she gets. And try not to burn down the pub," She murmured, fighting back tears. "I don't think Angie would be too pleased if she had to find another job."

William laughed but Maggie could hear the hollow sadness within it. She hugged him tighter, almost afraid to let go. William planted a kiss on her head.

"Don't forget to eat your vegetables," He tried to smile. "I know what you're like, young lady."

This time, Maggie choked out a laugh as the two pulled apart. William ruffled her hair, making her smile and she looked up at him with wide eyes.

"I'm going to miss you, Mags," William said, patting her arm. "It will be so strange with you away."

"I'll miss you too, Daddy," Maggie replied sadly. "But I'll be back soon! It's not that long till Christmas!"

"I'm expecting a letter every day," William reminded her. "Make sure you work hard, there are no excuses now; you spent most of the holidays with your nose in your schoolbooks!"

Maggie chuckled, just as a sharp whistle rang through the station, signalling the train's departure. Her breath caught in her throat as she realised that this was it. Her father noticed her panicked expression and patted her back reassuringly.

"Off you go," He said, leading her back towards the train's door. "Enjoy yourself and make lots of friends."

Giving her father one last hug, Maggie jumped onto the train and ran to the compartment where her belongings were and made a beeline towards the window. Throwing it open, Maggie leaned out, searching the crowd for her father. Her eyes landed on him and she smiled, before waving.

"Love you, Dad!" She called as the train began to pull away from the station. "Give Peggy a hug every day from me!"

His reply was too faint to hear above the chatter of other parents, but Maggie saw his proud smile, making her feel invincible. She continued to wave until he was no more than a speck in the distance. Loneliness overtook her as Maggie closed the window and sat down. The compartment suddenly seemed so much bigger, and Maggie brought her knees up to her chin in a small attempt to comfort herself. She knew she should go explore and try to find some other first years to talk to, but leaving the compartment seemed so daunting.

Instead, she rummaged through her bag and pulled out a rather battered, old book. Smiling, her fingers traced the spine as she looked at the cover. _Alice in Wonderland _had been one of her mother's favourite books, this copy itself being one of her most prized possessions. Finding her place, Maggie began reading and slowly drifted into a relaxed state.

Getting lost in the story, Maggie was oblivious to the world around her. It wasn't until the door open, she was brought out of the world of dormice and teapots and back into the world of the living. Dora stood awkwardly by the door, appearing unsure of whether to enter or not. Looking up from her book, Maggie smiled brightly.

"Hey!" Dora greeted happily. "Mind if I sit in here? Everywhere else is full."

"Of course," Maggie smiled. She watched as Dora happily sat down across from her.

"Thanks!" Dora said. "It's Maggie, right?"

"Yeah," Maggie said shyly.

"I'm Tonks," She replied.

Maggie frowned slightly. "But I thought your parents called you Dora?"

Tonks chuckled. "Yeah, Mum and Dad call me Dora, but everyone else just calls me Tonks. Mostly because my dear old Mum is rubbish when it comes to names," Tonks grimaced. "_Nymphadora,_" She shuddered. "I hate that name! It's so stupid."

"I think it sounds quite pretty," Maggie said shyly. "Like a fairy's name."

Tonks gave a snort. "Thanks, I guess. You've got a long name too, don't you? What was it, Margot? Margaret?"

This time, Maggie grimaced. "Magnolia," She said with a groan. "I hate it, it sounds like a tin of paint!"

"Ha!" Tonks exclaimed. "Funny! So together, we're known as the painted fairy!"

Both girls burst into giggles. Despite her nerves, it felt good to laugh. She usually didn't have much to do with children her own age. At school, she preferred to sit in the library at break times, to hide from the bullies. Not that it worked, but at least she managed to get some reading done before they found her.

As the girls continued to laugh, Maggie looked over at Tonks and frowned. Unsure of how to put her words, she quickly stopped laughing. "Umm, Tonks?" She said hesitantly.

"Yeah?"

"I don't want to alarm you, but your hair is – umm – going pink?"

Her words sounded more like a question and Maggie watched as Tonks picked up a strand of pink hair like it was the most normal thing in the world. She shrugged and threw it over her shoulder.

"Well, I guess the secret's out," She said simply.

"Can all wizards do that?" Maggie asked, half curious and half alarmed.

Her hand went to her own blonde plaits and she clutched them nervously. It was wild and untameable, but the butterscotch-blonde locks were the one feature Maggie was proud of. Tonks, seeing her alarm, waved her hands around frantically to explain.

"Oh no! It's nothing like that! Don't worry, your hair's not going to change colour, unless you transfigure it or take a potion," Seeing Maggie's confusion, Tonks grinned. "I'm a Metamorphmagus," She said proudly. "I can change my appearance whenever I want," Tonks explained when Maggie stared blankly at her. "Here, watch this."

Her twinkling eyes closed, and her face screwed together, as though she was in pain. A second later, her nose shrank and grew rounded, hair growing from each nostril. Maggie's eyes were as wide as saucers when Tonks opened her eyes and _oinked_. After a few seconds, her nose grew back to its normal shape and Tonks looked at Maggie with pride.

"What do ya think?" She asked with a smile. Maggie looked up at her in amazement.

"Awesome!" She exclaimed as Tonks smiled proudly. "How do you do that?! Could I learn?"

Tonks looked at Maggie apologetically. "Sorry, Metamorphmagi are extremely rare. Most wizards have to use potions or transfigure themselves to look different."

Maggie was slightly downcast but quickly recovered.

"Bet you could do loads with that, though," She said. "Imagine all the chaos you could cause!"

Tonks chuckled, "Yeah, it used to drive my Mum bonkers! She used to it now and can usually tell when I change my appearance though."

"It's still super cool, though!" Maggie told her.

Tonks grinned and the two girls began to chat about the upcoming events. Tonks explained to Maggie the houses at Hogwarts, something she had heard of, but her knowledge was still a bit patchy. After explaining the traits of each house, Tonks began to talk about her own upcoming sorting.

"Dad reckons I'll get Hufflepuff," She said. "Only because he was in it. I think he likes the idea of me following in his footsteps. Though Gryffindor doesn't sound too bad, but they are a bit stubborn and impulsive. I doubt I'll make Ravenclaw though, I don't have the brains."

"What about Slytherin?" Maggie asked. "You said your Mum was a Slytherin."

Tonks shifted uncomfortably.

"I really hope I'm not sorted into Slytherin," She confessed. "It's known as the Dark Wizards' house, full of pure-blood supremacists and Death Eaters. And it was _his _house."

Maggie shifted uncomfortably. She had read about You-Know-How and his Death Eaters, how they massacred both muggles and muggle-borns alike. They believed in pureblood supremacy, wanting to purify the Wizarding World. Seeing Maggie's discomfort, Tonks quickly changed the subject.

"I could see you in either of the three houses," She said with a bubbly smile. "You look clever, so you could be in Ravenclaw, but you look like you could fit into Hufflepuff and Gryffindor too."

"I don't think I'd want to be in Gryffindor," Maggie said. Tonks raised an eyebrow in question and Maggie continued. "Not that I would mind which house I'm sorted in, but from what I've read, Gryffindors seem too impulsive; the type of people that think with their fists, not their brains. They seem too prideful and competitive. I know competition isn't bad, but I just think that they would be the type of people that would do anything to win."

After a moment, Tonks grinned widely.

"Maggie, that is exactly what I've always thought!" She exclaimed. She jumped up and wrapped her arms around Maggie, who, though slightly shocked at Tonks' actions, hugged back. "Where have you been all my life?!"

After their discussion about the houses, Maggie and Tonks spent the next few hours playing various games. Tonks introduced Maggie to Exploding Snap – the blonde nearly singeing her hair off when she leaned to close – while Maggie taught Tonks how to play Go Fish.

Around noon, the trolley laden with food came around and Tonks watched in delight as Maggie tried Bertie Botts' Every Flavour Beans, grimacing in disgust at the first one that tasted of soap. Maggie tried her first chocolate frog too, though half of it ended up jumping out of the window, much to the girls' amusement. Her first collectable chocolate frog card was tucked carefully in her bag, Maggie still marvelling at the moving picture.

It wasn't long before the sky began to turn dark and the night set in. A prefect informed them they were nearing Hogwarts, so Maggie and Tonks changed into their robes, both girls bouncing with excitement. When the train pulled into the platform, they eagerly followed the other first years towards the Lake, where a cluster of boats was waiting patiently for them. Maggie looked in wonder at the Groundskeeper who escorted them; he was easily the tallest person Maggie had ever seen.

Hogwarts was everything Maggie had dreamed off, and more. The castle looked like it had come straight out of a fairy tale, making Maggie's heartbeat a bit faster. As they were taken inside, Maggie looked round in awe at the stone walls and high ceilings, already feeling at home. Next to her, Tonks wore the same expression.

Nothing could have prepared Maggie for the Great Hall though.

Thousands of candles floated beneath the peaceful night sky, glistening and golden. At first, Maggie thought she was in heaven. Four long tables lined the Hall and Maggie looked down shyly when she realised how much she was staring. She and Tonks walked side by side, following various other first-years to the front of the Hall where a patchwork Hat sat atop a stool.

Much to Maggie's amazement, the Hat began to sign, but she was too absorbed in her surroundings to let the words sink in. It wasn't until Professor McGonagall stepped forward that Maggie began listening.

"When I call your name, you will come fourth, I shall place the Sorting Hat on your head and you will be sorted into your House," Professor McGonagall called, holding up a long scroll of parchment.

It suddenly clicked that their names were going to be called in alphabetical order and Maggie's heart immediately dropped. She silently prayed that someone else would be before her, but alas, it was not the case.

"Ainsworth, Magnolia."

Her name was called but it was only when Tonks delivered a sharp elbow to her stomach that Maggie realised she had been called. Trying to stay calm, Maggie nervously made her way through the crowd of first years – realising just how small she was – and walked up to where Professor McGonagall was stood. Shaking all the while, Maggie perched herself on the stool. The hat dropped onto her head, almost covering her eyes.

"Hmmm," A voice said. Maggie's eyes widened when she realised it was the hat. "Interesting. Not much like your family…"

Maggie frowned and was about to question the hat when is spoke once again.

"Brave, very brave, even if you don't know it… Intelligent and very hard working… Loyal, so very loyal, you stand by the ones you love. Still, does the loyalty outweigh the rest? I think -

_HUFFLEPUFF_!"

The table on her immediate left erupted in cheers, and Maggie grinned, taking off the hat and eagerly walking toward her new house. She passed Tonks, who gave Maggie a thumbs-up and a wide grin. A sixth year smiled at Maggie before shuffling up the table to make room for Maggie. After her own sorting, Maggie eagerly watched the sorting, waiting for one. The Hufflepuff table quickly filled up but it wasn't long until the name '_Tonks, Nymphadora'_ was called. The bubble-gum haired girl tripped, narrowly avoiding falling over, and Maggie could have sworn she heard Tonks' curse from across the room.

"_HUFFLEPUFF_!" The hat shouted, and Maggie applauded loudly as Tonks rushed over, barely avoiding the table leg, before sitting beside Maggie, who pulled her into a hug.

"This is so great!" Tonks whispered to Maggie as they continued to watch the sorting. "Dad told me the Hufflepuff Common Room is near to the kitchens, isn't that wicked?!"

Maggie smiled widely as she listened to Tonks babble on about their new house. The sorting finished rather quickly after that, the last person, '_Weasley, Charles_,' being sorted into Gryffindor.

Maggie vaguely recognised him but was distracted when food appeared on the table and the feast began. Though she would be reluctant to tell him, Maggie half-heartedly though that the food at Hogwarts was a tiny bit better than what her father made. Only a tiny bit though.

Tonks laughed as she watched Maggie pile her plate high with food, Maggie making sure to pick some vegetables, as per her father's instructions. Shaking her head, Tonks turned to Maggie with a grin.

"No way can you eat all that," She said, her bubble-gum pink curls bouncing slightly. "You'll explode!"

A mischievous grin formed on Maggie's face and she picked up her fork.

"Watch me," said Maggie.

Like she predicted, Maggie finished her entire plate of food, and still had room for pudding. Finishing off a delicious piece of chocolate gateau, she turned to face Tonks with a triumphant grin.

"Told you so," Maggie smirked.

Tonks shook her head with a baffled look.

"But how?" She questioned. "You're so tiny! You're no bigger than a wood-nymph!"

Maggie frowned, "What's a wood-nymph?" She asked.

Tonks gave a laugh before delving into a speech about various magical creatures Maggie had only ever dreamed about. From knarls to kneazles, thestrals to trolls, Maggie listened eagerly with wide eyes, marvelling at the world she had entered. When Tonks finished – finishing off the rest of her Banoffee pie – Maggie bit her lip sheepishly, looked around and hesitantly quietly asked,

"Are dragons real?"

Tonks' grin was the only answer Maggie needed.

It wasn't long until the feast ended, and the food disappeared. Professor Dumbledore stepped forward and said a few words, but Maggie was too tired to listen. She had nearly fallen asleep by the time they were dismissed. Tonks prodded her arm to gain her attention, and together they followed the Hufflepuff prefect as they were led out of the Great Hall and towards the common room.

That day had been full of surprises and the Hufflepuff Common Room lived up to all of Maggie's expectations. Part of her gleefully shrieked when she saw the common room, the rounded doorways, fat comfy armchairs, and earthy walls reminded her of one of her favourite books, _The Hobbit. _

Though Maggie explained this to Tonks, the bubble-gum haired girl didn't understand the reference, but nevertheless, thanked Maggie when she offered to lend her the book. Maggie hastily wrote her father a letter, briefly detailing the events of the day. She smiled when she looked up at the dorm, one of two for the girls in first years. The beds sat in nooks in the walls with bright yellow curtains hanging over them gave a rather homely feel to the room.

Tonks had claimed the bed next to Maggie and she too was writing to her parents. The four other girls in her dormitory – Maggie had couldn't quite remember their names – had already fallen asleep. They seemed nice enough, one girl in particular – Maggie was positive her name was Louisa. She had briefly told Maggie that her twin was here too, having been sorted into Gryffindor.

Quickly finishing off her letter, Maggie felt her eyes grow heavy and looked over at Tonks. The young witch had fallen asleep, her leg dangling off the side of the bed. With a smile, Maggie carefully readjusted Tonks so that she was comfortable before throwing a blanket over her figure and getting into her own bed.

As Maggie began to drift off, the Sorting Hat's words rang through her head. _Brave…._ _does the loyalty outweigh the rest….Not much like your family… _The latter made her frown, confused at what the hat meant. However, she didn't get a chance to dwell on it as she soon fell asleep, smiling all the while, entering the dream world that was now becoming reality.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note \- Surprise update!**

**I know I said I'd only update once a week but I'm on a roll at the moment and couldn't wait to share the next chapter. This won't be a regular thing so updates will still happen on either Fridays or Saturdays, but I couldn't resist! Thank you to everyone who's reviewed, followed, favorited and read this story - it means a lot to me when I get feedback!**

**I hope you all enjoy this chapter, there are a few links back to my original story but a lot of new content too! Please enjoy! **

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_If there ever comes a day when we can't be together, keep me in your heart, I'll stay there forever._

_\- **Winne the Pooh, A. A. Milne**_

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_October 1984_

It didn't take long for Maggie to settle into Hogwarts. Within a few weeks, she could more-or-less find her way around the school, save for the occasional error every so often when she would take a wrong turn, or the door would completely disappear, much to Maggie's surprise. However, the Fat Friar, the Hufflepuff house ghost, was always kind enough to guide her whenever she or any of the other first years would get lost.

Surprisingly enough, Maggie enjoyed her lessons. Unlike her muggle school, the subjects were interesting, and the teachers were supportive, inspiring Maggie to throw herself into her school work. She was quite startled when she realised magic consisted of more than waving a wand, but despite this, Maggie revelled in the knowledge that could be learned.

Though Charms and Herbology were a close second, Transfiguration was easily Maggie's favourite lesson. After their first lesson, Maggie stayed up late reading on the subject, so much so that Tonks had to drag Maggie from the library and threated to hex her if she even picked up her book, '_Theories of Transubstantial Transfiguration'. _

However, they had yet to do any proper magic. Maggie was slightly frustrated at that, she was looking forward to practicing spells. Ever since she had bought her wand from Diagon Alley, she had been itching to learn spells. She had done a few, simple spells like '_Lumos' _and '_Reparo'_, but Maggie was eager to learn more.

Typically, Maggie collapsed into bed every night, exhausted from the day. Tonks teased that it was because she worked too hard but Maggie waved her off, pointing out that Hogwarts was a thousand times better than Muggle school. Part of her whispered that she only worked hard to avoid having to go back to the muggle world indefinitely, while another part of Maggie was terrified that the past few months were only a dream, or that there had been a mistake and it wasn't Maggie who was a witch. Maggie couldn't bear to go back to her previous life.

"Maggie..." A voice echoed through her sleep. Maggie groaned and rolled over, pulling her pillow closer to her. "Mags...Maggie..." The voice got louder, more annoying, and Maggie buried herself in her pillow, attempting to drown it out.

"Magnolia Isadora Ainsworth!"

This time the voice shouted. Maggie bolted upright, her eyes wide in panic. Slightly stunned, she sat there, blinking as her eyes adjusted to the light. She turned and saw Tonks sat smirking beside her.

Maggie's eyes narrowed, and her hand darted towards her pillow. She threw it forcefully at Tonks, but the bubblegum-haired witch grinned and dodged it with ease.

"You promised to never use my full name!" Maggie screeched as she leapt out of bed, moving to tackle Tonks.

She didn't make it far, however, as she tripped over her pajama bottoms, landing in a heap of limbs on the floor. Tonks cackled with laughter as Maggie lay dazed on the floor. It took a few seconds for Maggie to gather herself but she managed to make it up on stumbling legs and went to tackle Tonks once more. The young witch yelped and manged to dodge Maggie again, holding her arms up in defence.

"I just thought you might like to join us for Charms!" Tonks said, still smiling. It was only then Maggie realised that the dormitory was empty and Tonks was dressed in her uniform. Her eyes widened in alarm and when she looked up at the clock, Maggie groaned.

"Why didn't you wake me?" Maggie demanded, running around the room in search of her uniform. "I thought we agreed we wouldn't sleep in late again since the Potions incident!"

"You looked so peaceful!" Tonks replied as she sat and watched Maggie trying to pull her tights on. "Don't worry, you've still got a bit of time, I made sure your bag was packed."

"Thank you," Maggie said, pulling her jumper over her head. "Please say I've got time for breakfast? I'm so hungry!"

"Don't worry," Tonks chuckled. "You do. Though I seriously don't know how you do it."

Maggie looked up from tying her shoe. "Do what?" She asked. Tonks gave her a pointed look.

"Eat so much!" She exclaimed. "I don't know how you do it, you're like a bowtruckle! How the hell can your tummy be that big?!"

"Good genetics," Maggie smiled as she ran to the mirror. Seeing Tonks' confused expression, she turned with a smile. "Muggle science thing."

Tonks nodded and Maggie turned back to the mirror. As usual, her hair was wild and frizzy, having washed it the night before. With a grimace, she piled it up into pigtails, tying it with a sigh. Usually, she'd leave it down, or plait it, but this morning offered no time.

Once Maggie was ready – Tonks applauded her for getting ready in record time – the two witches ran out of their dormitory and through the common room. Maggie was still baffled at how light and airy it was for being underground. There were a few windows that offered a brief look into the outside world and Maggie caught a glimpse of green grass before she and Tonks quickly left.

The Great Hall was as busy as always as the girls entered, thankful that they did not have a long walk. Some mornings, when they were feeling particularly lazy, they did sneak into the kitchens where the house-elves were more than happy to give them food. Sitting down with the rest of the first years, Maggie and Tonks hungrily helped themselves to food.

"Charms first," Louisa Macmillan told them. "With the Gryffindors," She added with a smile.

"That'll be nice," Maggie said. "Your brother's in Gryffindor, right?"

Louisa nodded, "Yes," She said with a smile. "It should be fun, it's weird not having lessons with Albert. We've always done everything together."

"I heard -" Eddie Summers said, leaning in. "That we're actually doing spells today."

"Really?" Maggie said with wide eyes, though Tonks looked less impressed.

"Oh, yeah, Summers? Where'd you hear that?" She questioned. "I know you, you once told me that you had a pet dragon."

Eddie turned red and looked sheepish just as Adam Cartwright shuffled up.

"For once, he's telling the truth," He said and looked over at the Ravenclaw table. "The Ravenclaws and the Slytherins had Charms yesterday, Joe MacFarlan told me. Apparently, they were doing levitation charms, feathers and stuff, when Scaboir hexed Evan Draper. Nothing serious, just the leg-locker curse. Mind you, I'd be pretty afraid to run into Scaboir alone."

The shocked Hufflepuffs turned and looked over at the Slytherin table, where Scaboir was sat with his fellow Slytherins, talking to Zaair Shafiq with a wicked grin. He looked up and all the Hufflepuffs quickly turned away, quickly avoiding eye contact. Due to her still slightly sleepy state, Maggie was a bit slower and accidentally met his gaze, the malicious glint in his eyes causing Maggie to shudder.

"What happened then?" Tonks asked. "Did he get punished?"

Adam shrugged, "Joe said he got some points removed and detention with Snape for a week. Probably got off lightly - if McGonagall had caught him, he would be in detention for at least a month."

"He freaks me out," Maggie said, lowering her voice. "Like he's always looking for his next victim."

The group shuddered collectively and Adam looked at Maggie sympathetically.

"If no one's by themselves, especially in the dungeons, we should be alright."

No one commented, they all were still shaken. The bell rang shortly afterward, and the group made their way towards the Charms classroom on the third floor, where Maggie said a quick goodbye to Tonks and Louisa as they headed to their separate desks. Sitting down, Maggie smiled at her partner, Kevin Greenfield, a fellow muggle-born.

"Hey, Kevin," She greeted.

"Hello, Maggie," Kevin replied, putting his comic book down. "Excited for this lesson?"

"Oh yes, definitely!" Maggie replied. "I've been itching to try some spells out!" She looked down at his comic book and smiled. "Oooh, the Avengers! I love those comics."

Kevin was about to reply when there a scoff from behind. Eyebrow raised, Maggie turned around to see Charlie Weasley shaking his head in laughter. Kevin lowered his head slightly and Maggie was about to retort when Professor Flitwick entered, preventing her from doing so. Instead, Maggie sent Weasley a glare and turned her attention back to the chalkboard.

Charlie Weasley was complicated. While Maggie had never had a proper conversation with him and couldn't judge him properly, from what she had seen, he was quite arrogant. Just the other week, Maggie had seen him and another Gryffindor play a rather horrid prank on Kevin. Though Kevin insisted he was fine, the other Hufflepuffs had been rather wary of Weasley and his friend for a couple of days.

Writing appeared on the chalkboard and Maggie grinned. Eddie and Adam were right; they were doing levitation charms. Grinning with glee, Maggie eagerly attempted the spell, mastering it within a few efforts, much to Professor Flitwick's delight. He then instructed her to help Kevin, who was struggling. Kevin gave her a sheepish grin in return.

After watching his attempt, she calmly told him what was wrong and told him clearly what to do. On his next attempt, he managed it and Maggie watched in delight as the feather begun to float. Maggie heard yet another scoff. Knowing exactly where it came from, Maggie turned around with a poised expression to look at Weasley, who was struggling to levitate his own feather.

"Have you got something to say to me, Weasley?" She asked calmly.

Weasley ignored her, glaring intently at his feather. Next to him, Ivy Dunbar offered Maggie a small shrug and an apologetic smile. Maggie's eyes narrowed at Weasley once more but turned away when Kevin tugged her sleeve. Professor Flitwick began speaking again, but Maggie sat bubbling, annoyed at the redhead sat behind her. By the end of the lesson, however, she had calmed down significantly. As they were dismissed, Maggie hung back for a second, waiting for Kevin.

"Well done, Kevin," She said with a bright smile. "You did really well."

Kevin smiled shyly and almost looked embarrassed. He fiddled with his bag before turning to face Maggie, pulling at his sleeves all the while.

"Thanks," He said quietly. "And thanks for helping me. I'm not very good at magic."

Maggie frowned, "It's only our first year," She reminded him. "And anyway, this is all still new to us. We've got plenty of time to learn."

Kevin nodded and the two were about to walk out of the classroom when someone bumped into Kevin, sending him flying to the floor. Maggie dashed towards Kevin, holding out a hand to help him up. As Kevin picked his books up off the floor, Maggie turned and looked at the person angrily.

"Don't you have eyes, Weasley?!" She exclaimed angrily. "Watch where you're going!"

"He was blocking the door!" Weasley retorted. "I didn't see him!"

"And that gives you an excuse to barge into him?" Maggie demanded, putting her hand on her hips. "You've been laughing at poor Kevin all term! What's he ever done to you?"

"It's all right, Maggie," Kevin muttered. "It's fine-"

"No, it's not, Kevin!" said Maggie angrily. "I'm sick of Weasley thinking he can pick on you, just because you're quiet! I saw how he charmed those bread rolls to hit your head the other day! And the other week, when he switched your gloves in Herbology…"

Maggie stood up straighter and looked Weasley in the eye. The redhead was easily two heads taller than her – most first years were – but to Maggie's delight, he did seem slightly intimidated by her glare.

"You, Weasley, are an arrogant bully," She said determinedly, jutting her chin out. "Kevin is ten times the wizard you'll ever be; he's a good person, whereas you are arrogant pig," She took Kevin's arm and held it tightly. "If you so much as look at Kevin funnily, I'll hex you into next week."

And with that, Maggie walked out of the Charms classroom, half guiding, half dragging Kevin out the classroom with her. They had barely made it two steps before the rest of the Hufflepuff first years swooped down on them.

"Wow, Maggie, I didn't think you could be so scary!" Adam said.

"Are you ok?" Louisa asked Kevin, who nodded.

"Blimey, I'm not going to mess with you any time soon!" Tonks said, patting Maggie on the back. "You're positively frightful!"

Maggie grinned just as Weasley left the classroom. All the Hufflepuffs, excluding Kevin, who still seemed a little shell-shocked, turning and glared in sync. Weasley's eyes widened in terror slightly, before he hurried over to her fellow Gryffindors; Albert Macmillan giving him a sympathetic pat on the back and sent his sister a wide smile.

"And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why you don't mess with Hufflepuffs," Eddie said, causing everyone to burst into laughter. They headed towards their next lesson, Potions, but Maggie hung back slightly with Tonks.

"You were right, Nymphie," Maggie said with a smile as she looped her arm through Tonks'. "Bunch of headstrong morons."

* * *

_November 1984_

Tonks looked up from her game of exploding snap and frowned. Maggie had barely moved from her seat by the fire in the last hour, not even when Eddie shared his ungodly stash of chocolate frogs. At first, Tonks had just figured it was homesickness, Maggie had been fine during the two weeks following Halloween, but for the past week, Maggie seemed distant. She had barely written to her father, nor did she receive any letters, and she had been a lot more quiet than usual.

Frowning, Tonks excused herself from the game, just as Louisa narrowly escaped getting her hair singed. Walking over to the plush armchair in the corner, Tonks noticed Maggie's tense position; her legs were pulled up to her chest, her chin rested on her knees and her arms were wrapped protectively around her body, in an almost defensive manner.

"Hey, Maggie?" Tonks said unsurely.

The small witch seemed oblivious to Tonks as she continued to stare at the fire, lost in her own world. Looking closer, Tonks saw partially dried tears on Maggie's face, as well as fresh tears still glistening in Maggie's eyes. Nervously, Tonks placed a hand on Maggie's shoulder, causing the witch to look up, breaking her gaze from the fire.

"Hmm?" Maggie mumbled.

Tonks sighed and moved to sit down next to Maggie; easily sitting down due to the considerably large armchair and the smallness of the two witches.

"What's wrong, Maggie?" said Tonks softly. She watched as Maggie's eyes widened in alarm slightly, before she composed her face into a calm expression.

"Nothing," Maggie replied, turning away from Tonks. "I'm fine, _honestly_," She added when she caught a glimpse of Tonks' expression.

"No, you're not," Tonks told her. She looked over at the other first years warily, before lowering her voice. "Nita said she heard you crying last night after everyone had gone to sleep - you never cry!"

Maggie said nothing, instead choosing to stare into the flames of the fire. Tonks sighed and raked a hand through her hair. Today it was electric blue and curly, one of her personal favourites.

"Look," Tonks sighed. "I just want to help you. I'm worried about you, hell we all are! So please, just tell me what's wrong."

Silence fell upon the two girls, Maggie never once looking away from the flames. Tonks' could see their reflection in Maggie's dark eyes, more pronounced with the tears that were slowly forming.

"Not here," She said so quietly, Tonks barely heard her.

Tonks took Maggie's hand and gently led her out of the common room, ignoring the other first-years who tried hailing her into re-joining their game. Slightly unsure of where to go, Tonks took Maggie up the staircase and out into the Greenhouses. It was still early, so Tonks wasn't worried about running into Filch.

Greenhouse One was empty, and with the knowledge that none of the dangerous plants were in there, Tonks led Maggie into the classroom. Immediately, Maggie made a beeline to the back of the greenhouse and promptly sat down, half-underneath the workbench. The blonde-haired witch curled up in a ball, like her position in the common room, and hid her head in her arms.

Tonks slowly walked over, being more surefooted than usual, looking at Maggie as though she was a baby deer who spooked easily. She sat down next to Maggie, pulled her knees up to her chest and looked at Maggie. She looked even smaller than usual; her skin seemed paler and she seemed more vulnerable, like a porcelain doll that could smash at any minute.

Sighing, Tonks placed a hand on Maggie's shoulder in a reassuring manner.

"Take your time," She said simply. "You don't have to rush to tell me, you can take as long as you want. I only want to help."

It seemed like hours passed – though it probably was no more than five minutes – until Maggie finally spoke. Her voice was thick and crackly, and it sounded like she was fighting back tears.

"You know it's only me and Dad, right?" said Maggie, and Tonks nodded. "I got other family, but they all live away. Dad's parents live in the south of France – complete muggles, by the way. I've got a cousin and an Aunt. Not like I ever see them. Anyway, Jack's travelling and Aunt Alex works a lot."

Maggie sighed, brushing her hair out of her face.

"You've never asked about my mum. Why is that?" She questioned.

Tonks shrugged and began to fiddle with her sleeves, partly avoiding looking at Maggie.

"Just...I've seen the way you look when anyone mentions mothers. Like during the feast at the start of the year, when people were talking about blood-status, you just kept quiet. You...You always look uncomfortable when talking about family. So, I just didn't ask."

Maggie nodded, her eyes slightly enlightened.

"Thank you then," She said and Tonks looked at her in surprise. Maggie sighed again. "It's nice when people don't ask."

She paused again, appearing to be debating about something.

"My – um – my Mum died," Maggie said, looking down at her hands. Tonks' eyes widened, having thought about the reason, but never fully dwelling on it. "It-It was three years ago," Maggie began. She looked up and stared, her eyes distant. "Three years today. W-We were in the park, I thought it was just a normal day."

Maggie stopped. Tonks rubbed her back reassuringly and Maggie managed a small smile.

"We used to go every Saturday," Maggie explained. "It was our time together. No Dad, no kids from school, just the two of us," She smiled sorrowfully. "It was always my favourite time of the week.

"My Mum didn't have any family. Dad's told me that she was adopted when she was eleven, but she didn't keep in contact with her birth family. I don't know why; she didn't like to talk about it, or them for the matter. I think she once let slip that she had a younger brother, but Dad's never mentioned him. They didn't even come to the funeral."

Looking down at her hands, Maggie paused, taking a few deep breaths. Tonks noticed the tears threatening to spill from her eyes and squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"Hey, you don't have to tell me," said Tonks.

Maggie shook her head and looked up at the witch.

"I know, but I want to," She said. "I...I never really got the chance to talk about it."

Tonks nodded, albeit slightly unsurely and Maggie continued.

"My Auntie Arabella looked after my Mum. She lives down South, so I've only really met her a few times, but she is a bit eccentric. Lots of cats."

Out of nowhere, Maggie laughed.

"I guess I should be glad Mum turned out so sane," Maggie smiled. "Anyway, Mum and I were at the park. I...I remembered it had snowed the night before so I was making a snowman while Mum sat on the bench by the road. She was all by herself one minute, and the next, there was this woman sat next to her."

Maggie tilted her head. Tonks saw the distant look in her eyes, the same look she had when she was trying to remember something.

"I'd never seen this woman before but…she looked familiar. She was pretty, I remember that, but she looked so wispy, so frail, that one gust of wind would have knocked her over. Mum was talking to her like, well, she _knew_ her. It was starting to get dark so I walked over. Mum seemed sad, upset almost, and the woman did too. I didn't even know her, but when she saw me, she smiled so brightly, like she knew me."

With a sharp cry, Maggie stopped abruptly. Panicked, Tonks quickly jumped over, knocking her head against the workbench as she did. Maggie gave her a small smile in apology.

"Sorry," Maggie said. "I didn't mean to startle you. The next bit... It's quite hard to explain. One minute, everything was fine. And then the next -" Maggie trailed off again, eyes calculating.

"I've thought about this every day for the past three years," She admitted. "And I still don't know how it happened. One minute, Mum and the woman were talking, and the next, I just saw green."

She looked down at her hands. "The woman was screaming, and I started crying. It just happened so quickly. The police said that the car must have skidded on the ice or something, and hit Mum. The doctor told us that Mum died from internal bleeding or hemorrhaging. But..."

Maggie shook her head in denial.

"It all happened so fast, so the doctors told me that I was disorientated. That's why it didn't make sense, they said. But, it just doesn't work out, or at least, in my head it doesn't. And the woman, she just disappeared. The doctors said I must have imagined her too. But I know what I saw," Maggie said, lifting her head up. She looked at Tonks. "I remember someone else was there too."

Tonks frowned and Maggie saw this.

"I know, I was delusional," said Maggie. "But someone else was there too. A boy, in his teens. He seemed angry; he was glaring at us. That's what I saw before the green light and the car."

Maggie took a deep breath and turned to look at Tonks. The blonde witch looked as though she was fighting back tears.

"It was three years ago today," Maggie whispered. "I...I couldn't sleep last night, the nightmares just kept me up. And I kept thinking about Dad, all alone and - "

It was at that moment, Maggie burst into a fresh bout of tears. Tonks quickly drew her friend into a hug, rubbing her back and murmuring reassuring words. The blue-haired witch was shocked at Maggie's confession, numerous questions forming in her mind, but knew her friend needed her so chose to stay silent.

"I think it would be best if you took Miss Ainsworth back to your common room," A voice said.

The two girls looked up in surprise. Professor Dumbledore was stood in the doorway, eyes kind behind his half-moon glasses. Maggie wiped away tears as the Headmaster gave her a gentle smile, his eyes twinkling with compassion.

"But perhaps, first you ought to take Miss Ainsworth to the kitchens," said Professor Dumbledore. "I find that hot chocolate is always best in situations like this. I trust the two of you know how to get there," He added with a smile.

Tonks and Maggie slowly rose to their feet and, with Tonks wrapping an arm around Maggie's waist, led her out of the Greenhouse. Maggie looked up at Professor Dumbledore, who gave her a kind smile, though Maggie noticed a hint of incertitude in his eye.

Maggie didn't have time to dwell on it as the two witches slowly walked back into the castle. They quickly reached the kitchens, where a gaggle of house-elves had already prepared hot chocolate for the pair – Tonks had a sneaking suspicion that Dumbledore knew something she did not. The two witches drank their hot chocolate in silence, both slightly nervous to speak. In the end, however, it was Maggie who broke the silence, looking at Tonks with a shy smile.

"Thank you," Maggie said quietly.

"For what?" Tonks frowned.

"For listening," Maggie said, looking down at her half-empty mug. "I...I've never really had anyone to talk to. Dad's good but...It's difficult to talk about that with him."

Tonks smiled, "Maggie, we're best friends," She pointed out. "No, we're more than that. We're sisters, or at least, as good as."

Maggie looked up at Tonks, with a surprisingly bright smile.

"Sisters. I like the sound of that."


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note** \- **Happy Friday! Here's chapter 3 - hope you all enjoy it! There's some Charlie in it and a bit of drama involving a certain Slytherin who you may recognise from the films. For the sake of this story, I'm putting him in the same Hogwarts year as Maggie, Charlie and Tonks - believe me, all will be revealed! **

**Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favourited or followed - I love hearing your feedback! Please enjoy and leave a comment!**

* * *

_Those who pray for your downfall are concentrating negative thoughts towards you, without taking cognisance of the slippery ground in which they are standing, which could lead to their downfall_

_**\- Michael Bassey Johnson**_

* * *

_December 1984_

Maggie half walked, half skipped down the corridor as she made her way towards the Great Hall. In her bag, were half a dozen books that she could take home over the Christmas holidays, much to her delight. She was already tingling with excitement with the prospect of reading; she couldn't practice magic over the holidays, so this was the next best thing. The only challenge now would be to wrestle them into her trunk, and she knew Tonks would be no help as the girl would probably be in fits of laughter.

Checking her watch, Maggie picked up the pace, not wanting to be late for the last night of dinner before going home. The Common Room would be abuzz tonight- there was a small party organised to celebrate the end of term, something David Norton, a fifth-year prefect, told her was an annual event. Food had been brought in all day, some from the kitchens, some brought in from Hogsmeade by the upper years.

With a bright smile, Maggie turned the corner, only to run headfirst into another person, her head bashing into their chest before she fell to the ground. With a groan, Maggie looked up to see Scaboir, the Slytherin who was notorious for hexing other first years, towering over her. Maggie's face paled as he smirked down at her cruelly, and she realised they were alone in the corridor

"In your rightful place down there, Mudblood," Scaboir said, as he slowly circled her. Maggie kept her head up high, but saw shaking with panic inside. "Filthy muggle spawn, you shoulda stayed in your hovel."

"Leave me alone, Scaboir," Maggie scowled, dragging her bag back before standing up. "Haven't you got snakes to torment?"

Scaboir chuckled; it was bitter and full of poison. He continued to circle her, like a vulture to a carcass. Out of the corner of her eye, Maggie saw his hand disappear into his pocket and she tensed; it didn't take a genius what he planned to do.

"You're funny, Ainsworth," Scaboir said, his voice hostile. "But, ya see, the thing is, my old man ain't happy that I'm not top of the class. But that's not my fault, it's yours."

"It's not my fault your brain's the size of a puffskin's," Maggie retorted. Immediately, she regretted it when she saw Scaboir's eyes grow dark.

"Ya shouldn't have said that, Ainsworth," He said darkly. "Anyways, I tells my old man why I ain't top of the class. He weren't happy. See, he thinks that I should be doing better than a filthy Mudblood. And I agree with him," Scaboir took a step closer to her, and Maggie jutted her chin, trying not to appear intimidated.

"So you see, we can't have you coming top of the class no more, not if I want to make my old man proud," His voice was almost a whisper now, and Maggie could feel his breath on her skin, like the cold blade of a knife.

Maggie's teeth clenched and tried to bite back the retort that was on the edge of her tongue. Parts of her muggle life flashed before her eyes; the ridicule, the humiliation, the bullies. The times where she was too timid to fight back. But Hogwarts had changed her, not just because of the magic. Because of that, the words rolled off her tongue.

"Then pick up a book, troll-breath"

Maggie could feel the angry radiate off Scaboir, but she didn't dare look up, keeping her eyes fixated on the ground. He cursed before stepping back and pulling his wand out of his robes. Maggie jumped back slightly, knowing that she had no way off defending herself – Scaboir knew more hexes and curses than the average sixth year.

"You insolent, little Mudblood! I'll -"

"Is everything all right here?"

Both Maggie and Scaboir jumped at the voice, and they both scowled. Charlie Weasley, in all his might, stood lazily by the wall, leaning against a pillar with his arms crossed, like he didn't have a care in the world. He sent Maggie a lopsided grin, which was met with a cold glare, before turning to face Scaboir. Both were tall, but Charlie was slightly taller than the dark-haired Slytherin.

"Not planning on hexing little Ainsworth here, are you Scaboir?" He asked airily, but there was a serious underside to his tone.

Scaboir smirked, "I was just talking to Ainsworth about manners. They matter, don't you think?"

Charlie gave a small nod, but his face slowly got more serious.

"Oh really? Didn't look like that to me."

Scaboir's lips pulled into a sarcastic smile.

"Well, it's not your place to say, now is it?"

"Maybe not," Charlie said, taking a step back. "But I'm sure Professor McGonagall would love to hear about Ainsworth's manners. In fact, I think I just saw her upstairs! Shall I go get her?"

A scowl formed on Scaboir's face when he realised he was defeated. He gave Charlie a deep scowl, almost animalistic, before looking at Maggie.

"Remember what I said, Ainsworth," He threated, pocketing his wand. "Wouldn't want to let him down, would we?"

Scaboir turned on his heel and began to walk away. After shooting Maggie another cocky smirk, Charlie looked back down the corridor.

"Hey, Scaboir!" Charlie called with a grin. The Slytherin looked back with a questioning glare. "Didn't your mother ever tell you that threatening girls is impolite?"

Scaboir gave a mocking, sarcastic laugh before storming down the corridor, narrowly avoiding bumping into a group of second-year Ravenclaws that he towered over. With a victorious smirk, Charlie turned and looked down at Maggie.

"You're welcome," He said simply.

Maggie scowled, "For what?" She sneered, picking up the books that had fallen out of her bag in the scuffle.

"Saving you!" Charlie exclaimed. "If it weren't for me, Ainsworth, you would have been dragon food!"

Maggie rolled her eyes, turning to face Charlie, and took a step closer.

"I had that," She said, poking his chest hard. "I didn't ask for your help, nor did I need it. I had everything under control."

"Not from where I was standing."

"What does it even matter to you, Weasley?" Maggie demanded, "You're the one that's always the bully!"

"Look, Ainsworth, about Greenberg-"

"It's Greenfield!" Maggie snapped, turning on her heel. She was about to walk away when Charlie grabbed her arm. Spinning round in fury, Maggie looked up and glared at him. "What do you want, Weasley?!"

Charlie held his hands up in defence, before raking his right hand through his already messy red hair. He shifted nervously, and Maggie began to grow impatient.

"Look, Ainsworth, I think we got off on the wrong foot," He began, and Maggie raised an eyebrow, though she was still angry. "Okay, maybe I shouldn't have taken the mick of out Greenwood-"

"Greenfield," Maggie corrected through gritted teeth.

"Greenfield," Charlie said, inclining his head. "I shouldn't have taken the mick out of him, but was the one who started it! He shouldn't have -"

"Hang on a minute!" Maggie exclaimed, the anger slowly creeping back into her tone. "Don't you dare turn this on Kevin! What's he ever done to you?"

Charlie squirmed uncomfortably, "Well, nothing but-"

"Exactly! I've seen the way you're always picking on him, when he's never done a thing to you! He wouldn't hurt a fly and yet you see him as an easy target! You're as bad as Scaboir -"

"I wouldn't go that far!" Charlie exclaimed. "Okay, so maybe I've been a bit unfair to Green but I'm nowhere near as bad as Scaboir! I would never hex anyone for the fun of it, but you're not exactly making it easy for yourself! If you're not careful, he will! I'm not as bad as him, I would never call you a -"

Charlie stopped abruptly, and Maggie stilled.

"A what, Weasley?" She demanded. "A Mudblood? Is that what you were gonna say?"

"I didn't mean it like that!" cried Charlie, his eyes widening as he took a step back from Maggie, who was looking scarier by the second. It was a surprising fact as due to her height, Maggie was usually about as frightening as a dormouse.

"I don't care what people think about me, or whether I am a Mudblood or not!" Maggie exclaimed, her eyes becoming dangerously dark. Her small frame shook with anger as she glared daggers at Charlie.

"I don't care what Scaboir or his Slytherin lackeys think of me, and I _certainly_ don't care what you think of me! If I want to do well in class, then I bloody well will! I don't need you telling me what I can and can't do! Just leave me alone! I don't need your help!"

By this time, Maggie was shouting. Normally, Maggie was quite shy - she never raised her voice - but in her wrath, she let all the anger come out. Had she been in the right state of mind, she may have been more conscious of her actions, and if any teachers were around.

Maggie finally finished and swung her bag on to her back, before turning on her heel and storming away. She made it a few steps before turning back with a scowl on her face.

"And for the last time, it's Greenfield!"

With a final shout, Maggie stormed down the staircase, her blonde curls bouncing angrily, leaving a red-faced Charlie Weasley in her wake.

* * *

_February 1985_

"You can't actually believe that Puddlemore United could beat the Falmouth Falcons!" said Eddie as he helped himself to toast.

Maggie rolled her eyes and continued to eat her porridge as Tonks argued with Eddie about Quidditch teams. She scanned her eyes over the _Daily Prophet_. The zoological column briefly caught her attention, before she looked over at Tonks, whose face was set in determination.

"Of course, they could!" She cried, throwing her arms up and scattering corn flakes across the table. Adam sent an annoyed look at the girl, but she ignored it and continued her argument. "Puddlemore United is the best team in the league!" stated Tonks. "Not only did Joscelind Wadcock play for them, but they've got Benjy Williams as seeker!"

"Wadcock retired years ago!" exclaimed Eddie. "And Williams barely caught the snitch in Puddlemore-Magpies game!"

"He's got talent," Tonks insisted, brandishing a slice of toast. "Just wait, Puddlemore United will be top of the league soon, provided they get a decent Keeper."

With that, Tonks took a large bite of her toast. From the seat beside her, Maggie laughed. The bubble-gum haired girl sent Maggie a confused look, before saying, "What?"

"Puddlemore is definitely better than the Falcons," said Maggie, grinning at the annoyed look Eddie sent her, "But the Holyhead Harpies are the best team," Maggie smiled as both Tonks and Eddie scowled. "Anyway, come on, we've got Transfiguration. And you know what McGonagall's like about tardiness."

Begrudgingly, the four Hufflepuffs grabbed their bags and books, before they made their way up the Marble Staircase to the first floor. A group of Gryffindors were already stood outside the classroom, Charlie Weasley being one of them.

Maggie barely spared him a glance, instead choosing to speak with Nita Chaudhry, a fellow Hufflepuff first year. Professor McGonagall appeared a few minutes later, ushering them into the classroom. Following the crowd, Maggie hadn't reached the door when someone bumped into her, sending her books flying. Maggie herself would have fallen, if it wasn't for the surprisingly steady hand of Tonks, who grabbed her at the last minute.

Victoria Langley, a first-year Gryffindor, turned on her heel and sneered at Maggie, before flouncing into the Transfiguration classroom. Maggie felt her ears heat in anger as Tonks steadied her. As she picked up her textbooks, Maggie tried to calm herself. Tonks' expression mirror Maggie's; one of complete annoyance.

"What is her problem?" Tonks demanded as they walked into the classroom. "You've never even spoken to her! Why does she have out in for you?"

"Just ignore her, Nymph," Maggie said as the pair slid into their seats. "I am. I'm not going to stoop to her level, she's probably just doing it for a reaction."

Tonks opened her mouth to reply, but Professor McGonagall's voice cut her off, much to Maggie's relief. She knew what Tonks's next question would be. Tonks knew that Maggie was very stubborn, and wouldn't stand for any abuse to her peers.

Maggie had been used to people like Langley at her Muggle school. She wasn't the most popular – who wanted to be friends with the small, quiet bookworm? As a result, she hadn't had that many friends. It hadn't bothered Maggie as such, she was used to her own company. Hogwarts had brought out a side to Maggie that she had buried long ago; sociable and outgoing, much to her father's delight.

Though she had spent most the Christmas holidays at home – with Peggy, the family's Springer Spaniel for company – it hadn't bother Maggie. Barely a day had gone by without a letter being delivered. Though her father was pleased she was keeping in touch with her school friends, he did have a tough time explaining to customers why owls kept appearing in the pub.

As Professor McGonagall began to explain the theory of transfiguring mice into snuffboxes, the red-headed figure of Charlie Weasley caught Maggie's attention. Subconsciously, she scowled. Ever since the Scaboir incident, Maggie had a fierce dislike for the Gryffindor. Despite Maggie's words, Weasley continued to antagonise Kevin. The poor Hufflepuff boy was often seen as an easy target, due to his small demur and easy-going nature.

Thinking about Weasley made Maggie's eyes narrow – she couldn't stand his attitude. Moreover, whenever Maggie seemed in a spot of bother, Weasley always appeared, whether it was to voice a snarky comment, or to cockily pester Maggie.

A few rows ahead, Weasley sat head down with Shaun Newberry. The two spoke in hushed whispers but every so often a loud bout of laughter could be heard. Maggie rolled her eyes at this and turned her attention back to Professor McGonagall, who too had heard the boys' muffled laughter.

"Mister Weasley, Mister Newberry, is there something you would care to share with the class?" said the Professor, raising an eyebrow in question.

"No, Professor," Weasley and Newberry said, though Maggie caught a glance of Weasley's wide smirk.

Though her expression was still stern, Professor McGonagall returned to teaching, sending the two Gryffindor boys a pointed look. Maggie listened as the Professor continued to explain the practice of transfiguring mice, ignoring Weasley and Newberry. When she had finished her lecture, Professor McGonagall handed each student a white mouse, with clear and careful instruction.

"Transfiguration is a complex subject," She reminded the class. "It takes concentration and dedication; half-hearted attempts will not do any justice."

"What do you think they were giggling about," Tonks whispered as she practised the incantation.

"No idea," said Maggie. "But I honestly couldn't care less. Weasley is a right twat."

After a few attempts – Tonks somehow managed to give her mouse wings – both girls successfully transfigured their mice into snuffboxes. Professor McGonagall awarded them five points each, a hint of a smile forming on her lips.

Maggie began to copy up her notes from the lesson as Professor McGonagall swept past. With their project complete, the class grew rather boring, the thrill of the lesson now gone. She had just finished writing her notes, when Maggie felt a ripple of heat on her arm.

Jumping up in alarm, Maggie cried out in pain as the flames on her sleeves touched her skin. She quickly summoned a stream of water to extinguish them, drenching her robes in the process. With an angry expression, Maggie turned to see Langley laughing a few rows behind.

"Miss Langley!" Professor McGonagall exclaimed as she appeared next to Maggie. "Setting a fellow students' robes on fire - I have never seen such irresponsible behaviour before! Ten points from Gryffindor, for such callousness!"

Langley sank down in her seat, but still sent Maggie an annoyed glare. Professor McGonagall turned to Maggie, who clutched her injured arm. Maggie felt tears prick at her eyes, but she refused to let Langley see her cry.

"I think a trip to the Hospital Wing is in order, Miss Ainsworth," said Professor McGonagall as she examined Maggie's arm. "Miss Tonks will escort you, and I'll see that the two of you are excused from your next lesson," She said as she ushered the pair to the door.

"And Miss Ainsworth," Professor McGonagall lowered her voice. "Five points for your Aguamenti charm, that was very good for a first year," she said, a rare smile forming on her face.

Both Maggie and Tonks stood slightly baffled as Professor McGonagall returned to the classroom – having rarely seen the affectionate side of the Transfiguration teacher. After a moment of stunned silence, the two turned and walked towards the Hospital Wing.

"I can't believe her!" Tonks exclaimed. "That harpy! It's one thing knocking you over, but setting your robes on fire! Urgh!"

"Nymph, it's fine," Maggie tried to say, but Tonks suddenly turned to face Maggie with an angry expression.

"No, Mags, it's not!" said Tonks forcefully. "You're not a bloody candle, despite your size! You shouldn't have to put up with bloody Langley and her thick-headed brain!"

"Yeah, like's she even has a brain," Maggie scoffed.

"Exactly!" said Tonks. "And anyway, just because you're not tall enough to fight your own battles, doesn't mean I can't do it for you!"

Despite her anger, Maggie couldn't help but laugh. Shaking her head, she gave Tonks a playful push.

"Come on, Nymph," Maggie laughed. "The sooner we get to the Hospital Wing, the sooner we can head back to the common room. But please, try not to pick a fight with the next bookshelf I can't reach; I don't quite like your odds!"

* * *

_August 1985_

"Come on, Nymph!" Maggie cried, as she pedalled faster up the hill, "Hurry up!"

The other witch muttered under her breath, and Maggie laughed as she gained more speed, putting even more distance between the two witches. Peggy barked and darted around the wheels of Maggie's bike, clearly happy that her mistress was home. Further behind the blonde witch, Tonks moaned as she tried to catch up with Maggie; she was not used to muggle bicycles and struggled to keep up with the blonde witch.

Once Maggie reached the top of the hill, she stopped her bike by dragging her feet along the grass. She brushed a strand of hair that had escaped her plait and turned around in time to see a red faced, panting Tonks, who had already dismounted her bicycle and had resorted to dragging it up the hill.

"This had better be worth it!" Tonks threatened between gasps of air, "I think I may cough up a kidney yet!"

Maggie rolled her eyes. She quickly dismounted her bike, letting it fall onto the grass, and seized her best friend's hand.

"Come on!" She cried and pulled the witch down the bank.

Peggy ran ahead, jumping through the long grass that slowly let out into sand. Tonks' eyes widened as she slowly took in the beauty of the small beach Maggie had brought them to. Bamburgh Castle stood tall in the distance, adding to the idyllic view. The seaside wind whipped at their faces, and both girls grinned as they tumbled down towards the sand. After they quickly tugged off their shoes and dumped their rucksacks, the two witches raced towards the ebbing tide, the sand soft beneath their feet.

Tonks reached the gushing waves first, and immediately turned and splashed Maggie. The blonde witch shrieked, but retaliated, breaking the calmness of the waves surrounding her. Pepper jumped in headfirst, casting huge waves in both girls' directions, engulfing them both in water. Maggie and Tonks giggled in laughter, and waded further into the water. As Tonks swam parallel to the beach, Maggie floated on her back, and let the calmness wash over her.

She had been so worried about this visit. With the benefit of hindsight, she had been foolish too, but that didn't stop the initial fears that grew in the early days of the summer holidays. Despite her father being muggle-born, Tonks had never experienced the muggle world, or at least, not the full vastness of the muggle world. In truth, Maggie was terrified that Tonks' would see how _boring_ Maggie's life was.

As much as she loved the pub her father ran and owned, Maggie had to admit, there wasn't much to her life before Hogwarts. School for five days of the week, long walks with her father and Pepper, staying up late to help her father lock up after all the customers had left, and the occasional trip to London to visit her aunt was the extent of her life before Hogwarts. The past year had been like a dream. Maggie still could not believe all that had happened; from finding out she was a witch, to attending a magical boarding school, even simply making friends with people who actually liked her.

Her visit to Tonks' house hadn't helped either. Though she loved every second of it, every aspect of it reminded Maggie of just how mundane her home life was. Tonks' life was made up of Quidditch Games, spells for any chore imaginable, and day trips around the country within a blink of an eye. Maggie's life was reading in her father's pub.

But Tonks had loved it.

The small detail that Tonks barely knew anything about the muggle world had flew past Maggie. To Tonks, every item in Maggie's house was a new surprise, from the toaster in the kitchen ("It heats bread, Maggie! Heats it to make toast! No charm required!"), to the television in the living room ("But how did the people get in there? Do you use a shrinking charm?").

Both girls had been amazed at one another's lives. Maggie felt a bit prouder knowing what she did now, and it only helped her smile grow. After the incident before Christmas with Scaboir and – Maggie shuddered – Charlie Weasley, her experience over the summer only made her prouder to be muggle-born. She had the best of both worlds, not matter what anyone said.

The two witches soon grew tired of swimming, and instead chose to sit on a blanket they'd brought, enjoying the sound of the waves crashing against the shore. Pepper too was soon tired out and lounged beside Maggie, who occasionally fed her bits of the packed lunch she'd prepared for the witches.

"My mum asked me the other day," Tonks began, in between bites of her sandwich. "What I fancied doing in life."

Maggie raised an eyebrow, "What did you tell her?"

Tonks gave a wicked grin, "I told her I was going to live at home forever, and that she and Dad would be at my beck-and-call until the day I died."

Maggie gave the witch a playful shove, a smile tugging at her lips. Tonks laughed and turned her attention back to her sandwich. Maggie's eyes drifted over the cascading waves, and in a moment of utter calmness, spoke.

"What would you want to do after we leave school?"

The blonde witch saw Tonks look at her from the corner of her eye, but she continued staring out at the sea. After a moment of silence, or hesitation, on Tonks' behalf, the metamorphmagus smiled.

"I want to be an Auror," Tonks said, almost shyly, "It sounds stupid, but I like the idea of helping make the world a better place," She trailed off and shook her head. "I'd never pass some of the exams though. It's crazy hard to get into, and I'd be rubbish at stealth."

"Don't put yourself down!" Maggie exclaimed. "You'd be a great Auror! Look at how many times you've beaten up Slytherins who've called me a Mudblood; it's basically the same job, only you're a grownup and you get paid!"

Tonks couldn't help but grin, and the two girls exploded into a fit of giggles.

"Thanks, Mags," Tonks smiled. "What would you want to do?"

Maggie paused and tilted her head in thought.

"I don't know," said Maggie, "I mean, I like animals, but I don't think I'd want a career out of it. I want to help people, but I don't think I'd be cut out to be an Auror like you."

"Maybe you should be a Healer," Tonks laughed.

Maggie rolled her eyes, and elbowed Tonks' arm softly, "You just want a personal Healer to patch up all your lack-of stealth injuries!"

Tonks gave a playful chuckle, before lunging towards Maggie. The blonde witch screamed, though smiled broadly. The two girls began to chase each other along the beach, oblivious to the world around them.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note \- Hi all! Apologies for the late-ish update, but happy Saturday! A big thank you to all of you who have reviewed or favourited this story - you are awesome! I really enjoyed writing this chapter, it's got a bit of Charlie and a special appearance of a certain Professor who is one of my favourite characters.**

**A bit of a change in this chapter. I used the letter idea in the original story and loved it so much so I was super ecstatic to work it into this story. Also, I'm considering finding a beta so if anyone fancies it, PM me. **

**Hope you all enjoy this chapter - don't forget to leave a review!**

* * *

_No one can make you feel inferior without your consent_

_\- **Eleanor Roosevelt**_

* * *

_Wotcher, Maggie!_

_Hope you enjoyed France! Meanwhile, I was stuck at home. I couldn't even go flying because it rained all week! Super jealous you've spent the last fortnight lounging on the beach – but I bet you're still not suntanned. Knowing you, you'll be pale as a ghost!_

_Mum says we're going to London next week – any chance of meeting you there? I want to stock up on Gambol and Japes before we head back. And I want to go see the new Cleansweep broom, it's the fastest model yet!_

_See you soon!_

_Tonks_

_P.S. Could you give me a hand on that Potions essay? You know how much Snape hates me – I can't afford to fail!_

* * *

_Dear Nymph,_

_Stuck at home?! Nymph, I know your parents took you to Ireland for a weekend away – that counts as a holiday! Oh, ha-ha, very funny! Don't worry, I thought of you as I was sat on the sunny beach, eating ice cream. Not!_

_That sounds good! Dad and I are staying with my aunt until the end of the holidays, Dad couldn't see the point in driving all the way back up North. She lives in Surrey, so chances are we'll just get the train up to London. I'll tell you one thing though; I'll never look at cats the same way again - Auntie's got loads!_

_I can't wait to see the new Cleansweep – who knows, this might be the year you manage to persuade me to join the Quidditch team! That is if I can fit it into my timetable. Why did I agree to do so many subjects? Fair enough, Divination is a bit pointless, but still!_

_See you next week!_

_Maggie_

_P.S. Snape only hates you because of that __**incident**__ back in second year. I told you it was a bad idea to scare people while looking like Snape! Especially when you torment Slytherins in the dungeons! He was bound to show up!_

_(Though it was __**really**__ funny!)_

* * *

_October 1987_

Maggie fought back a scowl as she stalked into the empty Transfiguration classroom, Professor McGonagall two steps behind her. The witch pointed Maggie to a seat at the front of the class, which Maggie sulkily took. Professor McGonagall sat at her desk, her lips pulled into a thin expression before turning to face Maggie with a pointed look.

"So!" Professor McGonagall began as Maggie scowled at the desk. "Would you care to explain yourself, Miss Ainsworth?" She demanded though Maggie remained silent. Professor McGonagall's nostrils flared at the silence. "Well?" she said, bristling. "Miss Ainsworth, we _never_ condone Muggle duelling at Hogwarts! Have you nothing to say?" demanded Professor McGonagall. Her face steadily grew redder with anger as she stared at Maggie.

"She started it," Maggie mumbled, too ashamed to make eye contact with the Professor. "Langley provoked me."

"You do not start fighting with your fellow classmate simply because they provoked you!" exclaimed Professor McGonagall. Maggie felt the anger rise and she snapped.

"But she's been tormenting me for years!" cried Maggie. Angry tears pricked at her eyes, but she brushed them away.

"She's always jinxing me and stealing my things! The other week, she bewitched my cauldron to melt in potions and my hair-thickening potion went everywhere! And Professor Snape turned a blind eye – he wouldn't listen, he said I'd added the wrong ingredient! He wouldn't let me go to the Hospital Wing when hair began to grow over my hands, and then he deducted points!"

Maggie feel back in her seat with a small wail and sniffed back tears. Her eyes flickered up and saw that Professor McGonagall's expression had softened. Her eyes held less anger and she appeared almost sympathetic.

"I'm sorry I slapped Langley," said Maggie slowly, her eyes firmly fixed on the desk. "But after she insulted my mother…." Maggie trailed off, scrunching her eyes in anger. Professor McGonagall chose the moment to speak.

"I can see that Miss Langley's treatment of you has been rather unfair. While I do not relish the thought of taking points from a member of my own House, I do believe it is necessary," said Professor McGonagall, and Maggie's eyes widened. "Oh, and I suppose the points Professor Snape took from you should be restored. How many was it?"

"Twenty, Professor," Maggie said, as she brushed away a stray tear.

Professor McGonagall nodded, "Good. Now, is there anyone who can vouch for your story, Miss Ainsworth?"

"Tonks, Professor. So, can Louisa, Eddie, and Kevin. They were stood next to me."

"I will speak with them and see to it that Miss Langley is punished accordingly," the Professor said, before looking at Maggie with a somewhat penitent expression, "I am aware that there have been a few conflicts between Miss Langley and yourself over the past few years. Perhaps the next time a conflict such as this arises, you'll take a more vocal approach instead of a physical one?"

Maggie nodded her head furiously, her eyes wide with disbelief. Professor McGonagall nodded in return and shifted her focus to the rolls of parchment spread across the table. Maggie sat awkwardly for a few minutes, as Professor McGonagall seemed oblivious to her.

"Um – Professor?" said Maggie hesitantly. "What about my detention?"

Professor McGonagall looked up with the smallest hint of a smile.

"I trust you have yet to start your essay on Cross-Species Switches?" She asked as Maggie blushed and shook her head. "Well Miss Ainsworth, this should be plenty of time then. And I trust you have your books with you."

As Professor McGonagall returned to her marking, Maggie pulled out her transfiguration textbook and began scribbling away with a small smile. Halfway through her detention, Professor McGonagall left the room and returned with a pitcher of pumpkin juice and plate of sandwiches and placed them in front of Maggie.

"You've missed dinner," Professor McGonagall said as Maggie happily helped herself to sandwiches. "I didn't think it very fair to let you starve."

Maggie took a sip of pumpkin juice as Professor McGonagall returned to her desk. After studying Maggie for a few moments, Professor McGonagall spoke, with a curious expression etched across her features.

"What did Miss Langley say about your mother, Miss Ainsworth?"

Maggie paused for a moment, placing the half-eaten sandwich on the plate.

"She was mostly calling her names, you know, just general teasing," Maggie explained. "But – but then she was saying that she was better off dead, so that she wouldn't have to have me as a daughter…"

Professor McGonagall gave a small nod, "You shouldn't listen to Miss Langley," Professor McGonagall paused for a minute, "Was your mother a witch, Miss Ainsworth?"

"No, Professor," said Maggie, shaking her head in confusion. "She was a Muggle. Why do you ask, Professor?"

Professor McGonagall was silent for a moment as she continued to study Maggie's face intently. The blonde witch felt her cheeks flush with colour.

"Forgive me, Miss Ainsworth," Professor McGonagall said, with a shake of her head. "You just remind me of someone I once knew."

Maggie's eyes narrowed in confusion. She was about to ask what the Professor meant, went Professor McGonagall quickly changed the conversation subject.

"What are you doing, Miss Ainsworth?" she asked.

"Pardon, Professor?" Maggie said in confusion. "I'm not sure what you mean."

"This!" exclaimed Professor McGonagall as she held up a recently marked test. Maggie looked closer and saw it was her Transfiguration assessment from the previous day. "Full marks on your Transfiguration essay, and yet you show no indication of what you want to do with your life, except Muggle duelling!"

Maggie's cheeks reddened as she sank in her seat. Professor McGonagall barely noticed this as she continued with her rant.

"You're smart, Miss Ainsworth," she said, staring at Maggie directly in the eye. "I do not say this often to a student, but you are. You have potential, and you're throwing it away by engaging in this vendetta with Miss Langley."

Professor McGonagall paused for a moment, as though to let the words sink in. Maggie sat, feeling slightly ashamed. The Professor did raise a good point – what was she doing with her life? While she was only a fourth year, time was quickly flying by. Next year would be OWL year, then after that, NEWTs, then Maggie would be in the real world.

Everyone seemed to know what they wanted to do. Tonks wanted to be an Auror, Louisa wanted to work with the International Ministry, even Charlie Weasley often proclaimed his intentions to become a Dragonologist. Maggie fiddled with her sleeves as she brooded over her thoughts, her mind flickering back to a day at the beach years ago. And then, though apprehensive, she looked up at Professor McGonagall.

"Er – Well, I have been thinking about, maybe being a Healer?" said Maggie quietly, though it felt more like a question than a statement.

She quickly looked away, feeling a rush of nerves wash over her. After a few minutes of silence, Maggie looked up and saw Professor McGonagall nodding, a small smile tugging at her lips.

"Interesting," Professor McGonagall nodded, "You'll need top grades for that. But from this -" she held up Maggie's essay, "I think you can manage that."

"Really?" Maggie exclaimed in surprise.

"Of course," said Professor McGonagall. "As I have said, your grades are admirable. You're not afraid of hard work either," She paused for a moment, curiosity flashing through her eyes. "Professor Sprout mention the other day that Miss Tonks has been trying to persuade you to try out for the Hufflepuff Quidditch team. Is that right?"

Maggie blushed, "Nymph's been trying to persuade me since second year," Maggie said with a smile. "She seems to think I'd been good at it, though I don't know where she gets that idea from."

"I see," Professor McGonagall nodded. "If I may, Miss Ainsworth, I would highly recommend that you do. It might do you good to express some of your anger on the Quidditch pitch, as opposed to any further cases of duelling with Miss Langley, whether they be magical or muggle."

"But what if I'm not very good at it?" Maggie frowned. "I'm not the most co-ordinated of people."

"If Miss Tonks can play Quidditch, I think there's hope for you," Professor McGonagall chuckled. "Who knows, you may surprise yourself."

* * *

_November 1987_

"Maggie, you have to eat something," Tonks said from her spot across the table.

"I feel like I'm going to be sick," Maggie said feebly, as she stared down at the plate of bacon in front of her. She shook her head and pushed the plate away in defeat. "No, I will be sick if I eat anything."

"Oh, come on, Mags!" said Tonks as she piled her plate with toast, "You've got this! We've been practicing for weeks; you can do this!"

"No, no I can't," said Maggie, her voice croaky. "I must be completely mental, why did I let you talk me into this?"

It took ten minutes for Tonks to convince Maggie to finally eat something – though it was only a few bites of toast, and then a further ten minutes to drag Maggie to the Quidditch Pitch. In the end, Maggie was frogmarched to the Quidditch Pitch, shoulder to shoulder with Eddie and Adam, as this was Tonks' last resort.

An unpleasant feeling settled in Maggie's stomach as she stood with the other Hufflepuffs who intended to try out, though most of them were taller than Maggie. Tonks took her place as Captain, surrounded by the Quidditch team. She shot Maggie a reassuring grin, which Maggie tried her hardest to return, before dividing the applicants into smaller teams, based on their positions.

As the group of hopeful applicants grew smaller, Maggie grew more nervous. After what seemed like hours (though it couldn't have been more than forty minutes), Tonks announced that the auditions for Chaser were about to begin. Maggie swallowed a breath she didn't realise she had been holding before she picked up her broom and stepped forward.

Tonks explained what the drill entailed and again, split them into smaller groups, but this time, into groups of three. Maggie found herself grouped with two burly boys from seventh year, both of whom were easily a foot taller than her, and immediately felt out of place. Maggie watched the first two groups fly up, feeling slightly hopeful when only two people managed to make more than one shot. It wasn't long until it was Maggie's turn and, with a reluctant sigh, hopped on her broomstick and flew to the centre of the pitch.

Tonks passed the Quaffle to Maggie with an encouraging smile. Taking a deep breath, Maggie passed the Quaffle to Daisy Melbourne, a sixth-year Chaser. Daisy flew off towards the goal hoops, Maggie right behind her. Dodging a buldger, she intercepted a pass between the two seventh years and aimed the Quaffle towards the outer goal. Eddie, in his position as Keeper, narrowly missed it, and Maggie grinned as the Quaffle soared through the goal.

A flicker of hope ran through Maggie as she realised it may not be as difficult as she originally thought.

By the end of the trial, Maggie had successfully scored fifteen goals to boot, more than any of the other applicants. She happily took a seat beside Louisa and watched as the other trials continued. After a further hour of trials, which included two separate incidents where a second-year was knocked unconscious, Tonks finally called the Quidditch trials to an end.

"Thank Merlin, that's over," Tonks said, looping her arm through Maggie's, "It was awful! Did you see those third years who tried out for Beater? Merlin, that was hilarious! I had to try my hardest not to laugh when the little one slipped off his broom!"

"Little? You're only a year older than him," exclaimed Maggie.

"Oh, you know what I mean!" exclaimed Tonks, "Anyway, I think you'll be pleased to know, you were easily the best Chaser there," She added happily, and Maggie rolled her eyes, "You're definitely in the running for top three."

"Nymph, you can't just pick me because I'm your best friend!" Maggie exclaimed, "That would be picking clear favourites!"

"I can't help it if you were the best there," Tonks shrugged."

Maggie opened her mouth to disagree when there was a shout of "Hey, Maggie!" from behind. Both girls turned around and Maggie's cheeks flushed red. Tonks noticed this and slyly elbowed her stomach, just as Nathan McLaggen, a fifth-year Gryffindor waved from across the pitch.

"Great job!" He called, before turning back to his group of friends.

Wide-eyed and mouth hanging slightly open, Maggie stood in shocked silence as the Gryffindor walked off. Tonks smirked, and her grin grew as Maggie turned ever redder. As Maggie continued to stare dumbfounded into space, Tonks elbowed her blonde witch, snapping the girl out of her trance.

"Ow!" Maggie exclaimed as she rubbed her sore arm, "What was that for?"

"You know what!" Tonks said slyly, "Look at you, little Miss Love-struck!"

"Knock it off," grumbled Maggie. "Anyway, isn't he dating Langley?" She said with a grimace.

"I think they broke up. You know what she's like, he probably got sick of her bitchiness," Tonks chuckled but said no more on the subject.

The two witches met Eddie, Adam, Louisa, and Kevin by the edge of the Quidditch pitch, all of whom congratulated Maggie on her flying. The group walked slowly back to the castle, arriving just in time for lunch. After they took their usual seats, Louisa turned to Maggie with a questioning look.

"What did McLaggen ask you?" said Louisa. The witch lowered her voice, careful of how both the blonde witch, and their friends around them would react.

"He just said hello," Maggie replied, her voice the same low tone as Louisa. "That's all."

Louisa looked as though she wanted to press further, but Adam soon struck up a conversation, and the witch was pulled away. Maggie gave a small sigh of relief, grateful for Adam's timely intervention. After she finished her sandwich, Maggie checked her wristwatch and sighed.

"I'm going to the library," said Maggie, as she pulled on her jacket. "I want to start on that Ancient Runes essay."

Tonks shot Maggie a knowing look as the rest of the group waved Maggie goodbye, and Maggie walked between the table of the Great Hall, a wide smile on her lips. Once in the library, Maggie quickly claimed her favourite table, one that was out of direct sight of Madam Pince. She grabbed a few books off nearby shelves and spread them across the table, before pulling some parchment and a quill out of her bag.

Maggie quickly settled, copying up translations and scribbling away notes. The secluded table, combined with the piles of textbooks surrounding her, provided excellent seclusion from others. Maggie smiled as she scanned her Rune dictionary, happy for the solidarity. As much as she loved her friends and their company, Maggie sometimes craved some alone-time. She put this down to her childhood; a lack of friends in muggle school had meant she'd spent most of her time by herself.

The solidarity did not last long, however.

Maggie was suddenly aware of another person at her table. Biting back an irritated sigh, Maggie's eyes flickered up and widened in surprise.

"Mind if I sit here?" Nathan McLaggen asked, a crooked smirk plastered on his lips.

"Go for it," Maggie said. She only hoped her voice didn't sound too desperate, and didn't betray her, or show her nerves.

Nathan grinned and pulled out the seat opposite to Maggie. As he sat down, Maggie allowed herself a chance to get a proper look at the fifth year. Above average height – though everyone towered over Maggie – sandy blonde hair, handsome, and an overall appearance that screamed 'popular'.

"Nice job on the Quidditch try-outs," Nathan said, "Though don't expect me to go easy on you when its Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff mind!"

Maggie managed a smile but fiddled with her sleeves nervously. This was the first time a boy had expressed any sort of interest in Maggie, romantic that is –Kevin, Adam, and Eddie, she regarded as dear friends and nothing else in the slightest.

As Nathan talked away about Quidditch, Maggie couldn't help but think of the recent rumours. It was common knowledge that for the better part of third year, Langley had been dating McLaggen, though, for the last week or so, rumours had been circulating that the pair had broken up.

"So, Maggie," McLaggen said, leaning back in his chair casually. "The next Hogsmeade visit is next weekend. Fancy coming with me?"

Maggie blinked, her jaw almost dropping in shock. It took a few moments of silence before managing to stutter a reply.

"I'd love to," Maggie breathed, a smile tugging at her lips.

"Great," He grinned. "I'll meet you in the Entrance Hall, yeah?"

Maggie nodded and watched as McLaggen walked away, leaving Maggie feeling rather pleased and flattered. She couldn't wait to tell Tonks about this; she knew the witch would be cock-a-hoot when she found out that 'her little munchkin' as she liked to call Maggie, had a date.

Blissfully ignorant of the world around her, Maggie didn't notice the second figure approach until they were sat across from her. Maggie looked up, and her wide smile was immediately replaced with a scowl.

"What do you want, Weasley?" Maggie said, trying her hardest not to ruin her good mood.

Weasley smirked, "I hear you've got a date with McLaggen."

Maggie gave him a sarcastic look. "News travels quickly, hey? Why do you care, anyway?"

"I don't," Weasley shrugged. "But I wouldn't go, if I were you."

The blonde witch frowned. "Why?" Her curiosity got the better of her.

"Because, Ainsworth, McLaggen is a player. And Langley put him up to it."

"What do you mean, Weasley?" Maggie snapped.

"I mean exactly that," Weasley said. "Langley told him to ask you out."

Maggie stared at the redhaired wizard for a moment, before shaking her head in anger.

"You know what, Weasley?" She snapped, stuffing her belongings into her bag. "Just because you're a miserable sod, doesn't mean you have to make everyone else's lives miserable either."

With that, Maggie grabbed her schoolbooks, turned on her heel, and stormed out of the library, trying not to let her anger overwhelm her.

Saturday arrived, clear and sunny, despite the frost that had settled overnight. As predicted, both Tonks and Louisa were ecstatic when Maggie told them about McLaggen and had insisted on helping Maggie get ready – though it was mainly Louisa who wanted to play makeovers on Maggie.

Maggie told neither witch about the latter half of her conversation in the library, still unsure of that Weasley had told her. While she'd tried her hardest to ignore his words, they still rang through her mind constantly. _Langley put him up to it. _It couldn't be true, could it? McLaggen had asked her to Hogsmeade because he liked her, not because his ex told him to? Not as some cruel joke, but because he was genuinely interested in her?

Shaking her head, Maggie pushed those thoughts away and instead, turned her attention back to her outfit. Her eyebrows furrowed as she scanned her outfit, unsure of if she suited it. Louisa had raided her wardrobe in search of something she deemed 'suitable', before grabbing countless beauty products and forcing Maggie into a chair, much to the blonde witch's horror.

Tonks stood in peals of laughter as Louisa wrestled with Maggie's unruly hair, using all the Sleekeazy's hair potion she could get her hands on, somehow transforming Maggie's hair into smooth, sleek curls.

"Isn't it a bit much?" Maggie asked, as she carefully tugged a hat on. "It's only Hogsmeade after all."

Sophie looked horrified at Maggie's words.

"Maggie, this is Nathan McLaggen we're talking about!" She exclaimed. "If a girl can't doll herself up for him, then who can you for?"

And so, Maggie found herself stood in the Entrance Hall, anxiously waiting for McLaggen to arrive. Tonks and the others had already left; Maggie reassured them that she would meet up with them later. Though as the minutes ticked on, Maggie grew more nervous that Weasley's words were true.

After an hour of waiting, Maggie sighed. Weasley had been right.

Dejected and fighting back tears, Maggie slowly walked back to the Common Room. Any younger students that dared approach her were met with a vicious growl. After what seemed like forever, Maggie finally reached her dormitory, where not two hours previous, she had been stressing over her appearance.

_All for nothing, _she thought bitterly.

She tore off her perfectly picked clothes, letting them fall to the ground in a heap, and instead pulled on her comfiest pyjamas. Maggie flopped on to her bed, grabbed her stuffed bear and pulled it close to her, and finally let the tears fall.

* * *

"Are you sure you're ok?" Tonks asked as she and Maggie walked up the staircase.

Maggie rolled her eyes, "Seriously, Nymph, for the last time, I'm fine!"

After Maggie hadn't shown at the Three Broomsticks, Tonks had grown worried. Once she realised that the blonde-haired witch wasn't anywhere to be found in Hogsmeade, she immediately ran back to the castle, in a blizzard of haste and yellow hair, only to find Maggie sobbing her eyes out. It had taken Tonks a while to calm Maggie down, but armed with a mug of hot chocolate and biscuits, she had managed it.

Now, Tonks was out for blood.

As much as Maggie had tried to hide her feelings behind a bright smile, Tonks saw through the act. She'd learnt how to spot when Maggie was truly hurting, a trait Tonks was proud to possess, as no one else could see the heartache behind the smiles. After writing to her mother for advice – the older witch had been quick to reply, no doubt worried about her dubbed 'second daughter' – Tonks armed herself with powerful words of encouragement.

_Make the bastard pay, and don't get caught._

Tonks had been surprised at the advice her mother gave her; usually, she was encouraged to avoid conflict, mainly due to her clumsy nature. Instead, however, her mother told her to 'hit him where it hurts', though had also added onto the end, a long list detailing why revenge was bad. So, something of a double standard to Tonks but she still took the open opportunity.

The two witches entered the Great Hall and made a beeline for their usual seats. Tonks noticed how Maggie's eyes briefly flickered over to the Gryffindor table, before quickly starting a conversation with Kevin. After shovelling down some porridge, Tonks sat back in her chair, her own eyes scanning the Great Hall for one particular person. It was a good ten minutes, and two bacon sandwiches later, when he walked in. Tonks' eyes narrowed as she watched him sit down, happily chatting to his fellow Gryffindors, oblivious to the broken-hearted witch across the hall.

Thankfully, Maggie was oblivious to McLaggen's presence; Tonks knew that Maggie's fragile exterior may break if she saw him. Despite the tough persona Maggie present, Tonks knew that deep down, her best friend was too soft and sweet. Tonks gripped the table in anger, as McLaggen through back his head in laughter, and she only hoped that he wasn't laughing about Maggie. But somehow, she couldn't even fool herself.

Tonks' luck changed however when she saw McLaggen reach for a bacon sandwich from the platter in front of him. She grinned widely; it hadn't taken much to sneak out of bed early that morning. What had surprised Tonks was how she hadn't run into any teachers as she'd snuck out of the common room, she was positive she had caught a glimpse of Professor McGonagall when she'd been stood over the Gryffindor table.

It was laughable really, how people always sat in the same seats, no matter the mealtime. It was more laughable, however, that after observing McLaggen for only three days, Tonks had easily worked out his routine for the day, including his preferred breakfast. And, despite her clumsiness, Tonks was exceptionally good at potions.

She watched with amusement as McLaggen took a large bite out of the sandwich and continued to laugh, spraying pieces of bread and bacon across the table. It was slow at first, only noticeable if you were looking, but McLaggen's ears slowly grew bigger and longer. It took everything Tonks had not to burst into laughter, as McLaggen sat oblivious, blathering away, while one by one, his friends stopped and stared at their friend in confusion. A wicked grin stretched on Tonks' face as she gentled nudged Maggie.

"Look," She said, nodding over at the Gryffindor table.

Maggie, as well as the other Hufflepuffs, turned to where Tonks had gestured to. Their expressions ranged from confusion to bewilderment, and finally to laughter, as the joined the chorus of laughter that echoed throughout the hall as more people began to notice the donkey ears that had sprouted from McLaggen's head.

"Always knew he was an ass!" Eddie exclaimed heartily. "Now he's got the ears to prove it!"

Laughter sounded from the Hufflepuff group, for both Eddie's terrible joke and the scene that unfolded before them. McLaggen, finally noticing the donkey ears, shouted furiously at his friends, trying to convince one of them to transfigure him back. As she watched the scene unfold, Tonks' eyes drifted over to Maggie, who smiled shyly. The blonde witch leaned over and pulled Tonks into a tight hug.

"Thank you," She whispered quietly. "You're the best."

Tonks grinned, "Maggie, my dear, I have no clue what you're talking about," She said with a wink.

Maggie rolled her eyes, "Of course you don't," She replied. She looked over Tonks's shoulder, and Maggie's smile grew, "Nice touch with the pig snout," She added before she took a bite of toast.

Tonks frowned in confusion.

_P__ig snout?_

She looked back over at McLaggen, and true to Maggie's word, McLaggen had somehow sprouted a pig snout. He snorted uncontrollably, before he stormed out of the Great Hall, his group of friends two paces behind. Tonks' eyes trailed after him and she paused in confusion. The potion only altered a person's appearance to one animal, hence the donkey ears, but not two. Had she brewed it wrong?

Deep in thought, her eyes drifted back to where McLaggen had sat. She studied the table with a watchful eye, until her eyes landed upon another figure. Their eyes meet, and he gave a short, understanding nod, before Charlie Weasley left the hall, leaving Tonks to ponder this newfound information.


	5. Chapter 5

**_Author's Note \- Hey everyone! Here's your Friday update with an extra helping of a certain Weasley! Plenty of drama in this chapter, followed by some fluffy friendship moments that will (hopefully) make your heart melt!_**

**_Don't forget to favourite and review - feedback is always appreciated!_**

* * *

_Growing apart doesn't change the fact that for a long time we grew side by side; our roots will be always be tangled. I'm glad for that._

_-** Ally Condie**_

* * *

_September 1988_

"Seriously, how did you make prefect?! You're the mastermind behind most of my chaos!" Tonks exclaimed as she and Maggie boarded the train.

Maggie rolled her eyes once again, before looking down at the shiny badge pinned on her shirt. The yellow and black badge had been a surprise to her; she hadn't expected to be made a prefect. Though she wasn't as unruly and wild as Tonks, she had earned her fair share of detentions – though, as pointed out by Tonks, the majority of them were due to following Tonks.

"You have no faith in me!" Maggie cried dramatically. "I'm insulted!"

"Oh, whatever! You know what I mean! Seriously, with your cunning, you probably could have made Slytherin!"

"Okay, now I really am insulted!" Maggie said. "Remind me why I'm friends with you again?"

"Because I'm great!" Tonks exclaimed before promptly tripping over, dragging Maggie down with her.

"Great job, _Nymphadora," _Maggie drawled from underneath Tonks.

"Oh, shut it, _Magnolia," _Tonks retorted.

The two girls slowly rose back to their feet, their accident earning a few looks, mainly from first-years who had not yet heard about the infamously clumsy Hufflepuff pair. Maggie brushed some dirt from her jeans while Tonks pulled at a strand of hair, screwing her face up before it turned canary yellow.

"There!" said Tonks proudly. "House pride and all."

Maggie laughed and good-naturedly pushed Tonks. The yellow-haired witch grinned, grabbing Maggie's hand and dragging her back to their compartment. Upon entering, Maggie's owl Gatsby chirped at the pair. Tonks pushed Maggie down into a seat before she closed the door with a loud slam and sat down herself, a wicked grin forming on her face.

"Tonks! I've got to go to the prefect meeting!" Maggie wailed but Tonks absentmindedly waved her hand, cutting Maggie off.

"We've got loads of time before you have to go. You'd only be sitting there bored when you could be spending quality time with me!" exclaimed Tonks. Maggie rolled her eyes in exasperation but nevertheless, grinned. "Anyway, who do you reckon got the other badge? I swear, it better not be Eddie, he'll be insufferable."

"Who would make Eddie a prefect? I love the lad, but he can barely tie his own shoelaces, never mind keep an eye on a bunch of first years," Maggie said with a smile.

"Well said," Tonks laughed. "Anyways, Quidditch!"

"Ah yes, Quidditch. The one thing that's always on your mind, other than your next meal," Maggie said sarcastically. Tonks sent her a glare. "So, what are your plans, oh-fearless-leader?"

"Okay then. I've thought about this long and hard," said Tonks, sitting up straight with a serious expression. "You as chaser, me as beater. Merlin knows for the other positions!"

Maggie groaned and slid down in her seat. "No, Tonks!" She cried at the yellow-haired witch. "We've got to get it sorted this year. You're _Captain, _we have to win the House Cup! Thrash those Gryffindors!"

"And of course, by Gryffindors, you mean Weasley," Tonks said with a knowing grin. Maggie scowled and threw her jacket at Tonks, who easily dodged it. "Wow, with skills like that, you should be a beater!"

"Gryffindor wiped the floor with us last year," Maggie pointed out. "Now it's our turn to do the same! And if that so happens to mean rubbing it in Weasley's face, so be it! Merlin knows he did the same to us last year!"

"If I recall, that was only to you," said Tonks, with a wicked grin.

"Whatever. The point is, we need to win! Weasley's head is already too large as it is, it's a wonder a broomstick can hold him," Maggie said, folding her arms across her body.

Tonks rolled her eyes, "You're still holding it against him?"

Maggie shot Tonks a glare, "Weasley is an arrogant toerag whose only joy comes from the misfortune of others. He is an egocentric, conceited git. I honestly can't think of another person I despise more; with the exception of Slytherins."

Tonks let out a low whistle and threw a smirk at Maggie, "I'll take that as a yes, then?"

After narrowly avoiding being hit by Maggie's shoe, Tonks laughed. Maggie rolled her eyes at her friend before picking her shoe up. She slipped Gatsby an owl-treat before standing up and heading towards the compartment door. Before she left, Maggie turned around and looked at Tonks, placing her hands on her hips. The canary yellow-haired witch was still grinning at Maggie.

"How did I end up with a friend as bonkers as you?" Maggie questioned, and raised an eyebrow with a smile. Tonks shot her a wide grin.

"Just lucky I guess," exclaimed Tonks, before she pointed at the bracelet on her wrist. "You're the one stuck with me, remember? Forever!"

Maggie rolled her eyes but smiled as she left the compartment.

"See you, Munchkin!" Tonks exclaimed, and Maggie grinned at the nickname given to her over the summer.

"I thought I told you to stop calling me that!" Maggie called back playfully.

"Shouldn't have shown me the film then, Munchkin," Tonks replied. "Remember, if you see the Wicked Witch of the East, just drop a house on her!"

Maggie shook her head at Tonks, used to her excitable antics. As she walked down the corridor, her hand glided over to her own bracelet on her arm. The two witches had made the bracelets back during the holidays before third year, and both had never taken them off. Maggie smiled as her fingers touched one of the charms; a yellow diamond that Tonks pointed out were the same shade as the ones used for Hufflepuff's house points.

The prefect's compartment was on the other side of the train, giving Maggie plenty of opportunities to see her fellow classmates. She smiled when she passed excited first-years, remembering her first journey on the train. When she reached the prefect's compartment, Maggie paused for a moment, smoothing down her curly hair and brushing any dirt off her clothes.

Part of Maggie was still anxious; she wanted to make a good impression after all. After fiddling with her sleeves for a moment – her nerves were getting the better of her – Maggie took a deep breath and smiled widely. Standing tall, Maggie opened the door and walked into the compartment.

"Alright, Ainsworth?"

And Maggie's smiled immediately fell.

Charlie Weasley was one of the only other people in the compartment, except for the Head Boy and Head Girl, who were stood in the corner, speaking quietly. He sat lazily with a broad grin stretched on his face, staring at Maggie with his typically arrogant expression. Weasley ran a hand through his already messy, red hair and gave Maggie a crooked smile, and a look of avid anticipation flashed through his eyes. Maggie took a deep breath and gritted her teeth, before moving to the seat furthest away from Weasley. She closed her eyes for a second and silently prayed that Weasley would leave her be.

She had no such luck however.

"So then, Ainsworth, good summer?" Weasley drawled, and he shuffled closer.

Maggie's grip on her bag tightened as he spoke. Her eyes narrowed as she looked up, a bitter frown pulling at her lips. She had, on previous occasions, tried to look past the incident in first year. His intentions were good, she had told herself, even if his approach was idiotic. But Maggie couldn't, no matter how hard she tried, as whenever Charlie Weasley opened his mouth, she wanted to slap him.

But it didn't stop there, however. Weasley always seemed to single Maggie out, in every aspect. She could barely walk passed him without a smart-arse comment escaping his mouth. Or she would usually be on the receiving end of his practical jokes, which usually ended up with a furious Maggie and a laughing Tonks. More than once, Maggie had jinxed him in retaliation; Weasley always ended up worse off than the blonde-haired witch.

"It was fine," Maggie replied curtly. She hoped that her brief answer would be enough to put him off, but alas, she was wrong.

"Have you done the homework for Kettleburn?" Weasley asked with a grin and Maggie gave a brief nod. "I haven't!"

"You haven't done your homework for the class you want to do well in?" Maggie said slowly, a questioning look on her face. "What's the point in not doing it? If you want to be a Dragonologist like you say you do, how can failing the class you need help?"

Weasley squirmed slightly under Maggie's challenging gaze. He was about to reply when the compartment door opened. Both Maggie and Weasley looked up at the figure who walked in, and while one smiled, the other frowned.

"Adam!" Maggie smiled as she stood. She walked over and hugged her fellow Hufflepuff in greeting as the tall boy grinned. "You made prefect? Congratulations!"

"Yeah, same to you," Adam replied. "How was your summer?" He asked as the two moved to sit down; Maggie choosing the seats furthest away from a certain redhead.

"Great, thanks! How about yours?"

Adam was about to reply when a vexed voice cut him off.

"Oi, Cartwright! We were in the middle of a private conversation before you interrupted it!" Weasley exclaimed, and Adam shifted uncomfortably, looking between the Gryffindor and Maggie with an uncomfortable glance.

"Oh! I-I'm sorry, I'll just -"

"Its fine, Adam," Maggie said, doing her best to ignore the red-headed prefect. "Weasley was finished anyway."

"What?! No, we weren't! We -!" Weasley exclaimed, but he was quickly silenced with a murderous look from Maggie.

Maggie turned away from Weasley, hearing a slight huff as she did, and began talking animatedly to Adam. Though she was closest to Tonks, she had missed her other friends at Hogwarts. Like Maggie, Adam was muggle-born so the two understood what each other were going through in first year. Along with Kevin, the only other Hufflepuff muggle-born in their year, Adam was one of Maggie's closest friends.

The compartment began to quickly fill up after Adam entered. Maggie waved at some of the other prefects; blushing slightly when Joe McFarlan, a Ravenclaw fifth-year, gave her a wave and smiled at Maggie. She saw Adam look at her curiously and out of the corner of her eye, saw Weasley glaring at the Ravenclaw. Maggie brushed it off however, it was a well-known fact that Weasley and Joe despised one another.

The last prefects that walked in were the Slytherins and Maggie's heart dropped when she saw Scaboir walk in, alongside Ingrid Parkinson, a fellow fifth year. Both sneered at the other prefects, Scaboir giving Maggie a sinister smirk that made her shiver. Maggie tried her hardest to avoid Scaboir; out of all the Hufflepuffs, he seemed to have fervent fascination with Maggie. She was often the target of his cruel jokes, and though mostly harmless, it did scare her.

When the compartment was full, the Head Boy and Head Girl stepped forward and signalled for silence. Maggie barely recognised the Head Girl - her blue and bronze badge indicating that she was a Ravenclaw. The Head Boy, however, she recognised as Bill Weasley, Charlie Weasley's older brother.

Maggie listened as they outlined the responsibilities of being a prefect. Though she tried to listen intently, Maggie quickly grew bored, her mind drifting to the compartment, where she knew Tonks would be waiting, perhaps with Eddie, Kevin and Louisa. Her eyes wandered aimlessly around the room and Maggie frowned slightly when she saw Weasley sitting lazily, muttering to Ivy Dunbar, the other Gryffindor prefect.

Looking away quickly, Maggie's eyes met with another's. The person smiled, somewhat shyly, and Maggie gave a nervous smile in reply. The blush returned to her cheeks and she fiddled with her sleeve nervously as Joe continued to smile at her.

"There's one last change to the rota this year," Bill said. Maggie sent Joe an apologetic smile before she looked at Bill, her heart fluttering slightly. "The Headmaster wants to promote House unity this year, so the rota for patrols is changing slightly," Bill paused for a minute, pulling a roll of parchment out of his pocket. "This year, you will be doing patrols with a prefect from a different house."

Maggie's eyes widened in surprise, as did everyone else's. Her eyes flickered hopefully towards Joe for a second, before she scolded herself for thinking like that. _Like he would ever go for you, _she thought to herself. There was still a brief flicker of hope, though. _Theoretically speaking, there is a chance of being paired with Joe, _Maggie reasoned.

Out of the corner of her eye, Maggie saw Weasley sit a little straighter in his seat, looking as though he was actually paying attention. A thought ran through Maggie's mind and her heart sank slightly._ Oh no,_ she thought, her eyes widening in alarm. _Oh no, please, not him!_

Maggie sat anxiously, as Bill began to list off various prefects. The combinations formed a pattern; a boy and girl from different houses, both in the same year. She gave Adam a solemn smile when he was paired with Ingrid Parkinson – neither looking too pleased with the prospect. Maggie gave silent thanks, however, when Scaboir was paired off with a Ravenclaw, a small feat but Maggie was still thankful.

There were only four fifth-year prefects left by the time Bill turned to Maggie. Maggie herself, Joe, Weasley and Ivy, the Gryffindor prefect. Maggie's heart sank in realisation as Bill continued to list names. Joe went off with Ivy, once again smiling at Maggie before shooting Weasley a glare.

"Maggie Ainsworth?" Bill asked as he faced her. Maggie nodded solemnly, preparing herself for the words she knew would follow. "Good. You're with Charlie Weasley."

It took all Maggie had to repress the groan forming inside her. Fate was truly working against her or had a cruel sense of humour. Bill turned and walked away, addressing some sixth-year prefects and this time, Maggie did groan.

Across the room, Maggie could have sworn she saw Charlie Weasley grin widely.

* * *

_November 1988_

Maggie sat peacefully in the Hufflepuff Common Room, her transfiguration book resting on her lap while she scribbled away. Tonks had teased the blonde witch for her knack of doing essays long before they were due, but Maggie could not help but enjoy Transfiguration; hence Maggie's early start on her essay. She knew that it would be a better idea to start her Astronomy work, but that was the one subject Maggie could not understand. Merlin, she would even pick Potions over Astronomy, though it would be a tough call if Snape was teaching.

Lost in thought, Maggie nibbled the end of her sugar-quill as she pondered for a moment. With her attention focused solely on her work, Maggie did not see a figure approach her, until the person sat down beside her. Startled, Maggie looked up before rolling her eyes and smiling.

"Only you would do homework on a Saturday," Tonks grinned, playfully nudging Maggie's arm.

"We have our O.W.L.s this year, remember?" Maggie said, raising an eyebrow. "I for one, do not want a repeat of third year."

Tonks gave a mock shudder, "Don't remind me. I think that's the closest I've ever seen you to a mental breakdown."

"And the coffee didn't help either," Maggie teased.

"Coffee is my friend, no matter what you say," Tonks said in a deadpan tone. "I'd go so far to say it's my best friend and lifesaver."

"You're on it today, aren't you? I thought I was your best friend!"

"Ok, maybe it's not my best friend, but it's definitely a lifesaver," Tonks said seriously before smiling. "Anyway, that's what I came to talk to you about."

Maggie frowned, "You interrupted my Transfiguration essay to talk about coffee?"

"No, but you seriously need to convert to it. Tea really does do nothing," Tonks said. She looked over her shoulder before leaning closer to Maggie. "Have you seen Louisa today?"

"Not since breakfast," Maggie said thoughtfully. "Why?"

"Haven't you noticed she's been acting a little strangely lately?"

Maggie was silent for a moment as she thought. True, Louisa wasn't her best friend – that role was reserved for Tonks – but she was still a good friend. Louisa Macmillan was the kind of girl people were automatically drawn to; charismatic and bold, yet gentle and friendly. Over the past five years, Maggie had come to realise that Louisa was a force to be reckoned with.

The girl could go from a friendly Labrador to a raging Rottweiler at the snap of her fingers, and this rage was usually reserved for either Slytherins who annoyed her with their pureblood supremacy (Louisa was pureblood but detested the whole idea of blood superiority), or certain Gryffindors. The latter was mainly due to Maggie, and her hatred towards Charlie Weasley and his friends, though the Gryffindors' pranks on their fellow housemates did not help this opinion.

But as Maggie began to think, she did realise that her fellow witch had been acting differently lately. Though Louisa was the type of girl who spent an hour every morning preening and prepping – usually while Maggie and Tonks slept through their alarms – but over the past week, she'd spent more time than usual in the morning sat in front of the mirror. Through her lazy morning haze, Maggie had noticed Louisa seemed to carefully examine her appearance before leaving the dormitory, especially on days where they had Potions first. Louisa smiled more brightly and walked with an extra spring in her step.

But it was more than that. Usually, when she wasn't with the Hufflepuff group, Louisa could be found with her brother, Albert, a fellow fifth-year in Gryffindor. Lately, Louisa was always in a rush, disappearing in a blur of long hair and perfume, leaving her fellow Hufflepuffs in confusion. The thing that struck Maggie as odd however, was that Louisa was not with her brother. Maggie had noticed this, in times of Louisa's absence, Louisa's figure could not be found sat at the Gryffindor table with Albert. The girl was disappearing for hours on end without a word to anyone.

"She has been a little off this past fortnight," Maggie began, still pondering the thought. "I've hardly seen her, but I know she's not been with Albert."

Tonks nodded, "Right. She's hiding something. And I think we should follow her to find out what."

"So, this is you wanting to be nosy?" Maggie's lips quirked.

"No, this is me wanting to practice my Auror training!" Tonks insisted, throwing her hands up in exaggeration.

"Of course, it is," Maggie smirked. She looked down at her textbook for a moment before closing it with a sigh. "Fine, we'll follow her. But if this turns south, I'm blaming you!"

Tonks threw her head back in laughter, "And I'm bringing you down with me."

The pair quickly left the common room, with Maggie depositing her textbook in her dorm room after Tonks insisted that she could hardly bring the book on what she had dubbed 'a stealth mission'. As it was Saturday, and neither girl had seen Louisa since breakfast earlier that morning, the pair were at a loss on where to look. They checked the library first, though Tonks vehemently insisted that Louisa would not be there – _she's not doing her makeup to sit and study_! Upon finding no trace of the girl, the pair trekked up to the seventh floor, reasoning that if they started looking at the top of the castle and worked their way back down, they would eventually find Louisa.

"Merlin, I hope being an Auror doesn't mean this much walking," Tonks wheezed as the two witches slowly walked up the seemingly never-ending Clock Tower Staircase. "I may have to reconsider my life choices if so."

"Oh hush, you're perfectly fine," said Maggie as she rolled her eyes at Tonks' antics. "It's only because you ate that massive breakfast this morning – seriously, six bacon sandwiches? It's a wonder you haven't turned into one yet!"

"I was hungry!" Tonks exclaimed, with an expression of mock horror. "And besides, I didn't want good food to go to waste. Waste not, want not, like my Mum says."

Maggie paused, mid-step, and turned to face the pink-haired witch with an eyebrow raised in question.

"Did you actually just quote your mother?"

Tonks shrugged, "She sometimes says some useful things. That is, when she's not nagging me to clean my room."

Maggie chuckled, "Pigs must be flying."

"Oi!"

The blonde witch ignored Tonks disgruntled shout and continued up the stairs, her fellow witch following behind with a slight grumble. They reached the top of the stairs, and made their way over to the clock's face, in order to get a better view of the grounds.

"I can't see her in the courtyard," muttered Maggie, "Do you think she might have gone down to the lake?"

"In this weather? Not bloody likely; she'll freeze!" Tonks replied.

Maggie was about to speak when she heard footsteps behind them. Though they were in a school, it was uncommon for people to venture up to the Clock Tower, as there were no classrooms and hardly nowhere to go. Maggie nudged Tonks gently before pointing to where the noise had come from. Tonks' eyes narrowed as she took a step forward, her wand raised. Not for the first time, Maggie saw the raw talent her friend possessed, the ability to go from goofy to serious at the drop of a pin, and she knew her friend would make a great Auror.

Tonks took a tentative step forward just as a figure appeared from around the corner. Both girls had their wands raised in caution, fully expecting a Slytherin to appear who would be no doubt bigger than them. Maggie suppressed a shudder when the thought of Scaboir crossed her mind, and she was ready to jinx his sorry arse back down to the dungeons.

The person who appeared, however, was no better.

"Hey, hey! I come in peace!" Charlie Weasley cried, his hands up in defence as two wands were pointed directly in his face.

Maggie huffed as she slowly lowered her wand, though part of her wanted to hex Weasley's sorry arse. She decided against it however, as it wasn't exactly respectful prefect behaviour to hex someone unprovoked. She had learned that lesson the hard way last year during the incident with Langley and the muggle duel.

"What are you doing here, Weasley?" said Tonks, her tone guarded as she carefully studied his expression.

"I'm looking for Shaun - one of the first years told me she'd seen him come up here," Weasley paused, before looking over at the two girls. "Why are you two up here?" He asked though he directed the question towards Maggie.

"We're looking for Louisa," said Maggie, crossing her arms in defence. "What's it to you?"

Weasley was about to reply when voices echoed through the air. The two Hufflepuffs and the Gryffindor turned and looked up at the figures walking down the stairs. Their jaws dropped at the sight of Louisa Macmillan and Shaun Newberry walking down the stairs, hand in hand, oblivious to the three stood at the bottom. Maggie blinked at the pair, who were in their own little world. It wasn't until Tonks coughed to catch their attention, that the pair looked up.

Louisa's eyes widened in shock and Newberry looked sheepish when they realised who they'd walked into. Tonks and Maggie looked at one another before turning to Louisa, their eyebrows raised in question. From the corner of her eye, Maggie saw Weasley's cheeks redden as he stared at his best mate in confusion.

"Something you'd like to tell us?" Tonks asked, the sarcasm thick.

* * *

"I can't believe you didn't tell us!" exclaimed Tonks, later that night.

The three girls were sat in their dormitory, knowing that it was unlikely they would be interrupted. The two other girls in their house, Nita and Sally, were at Gobstones practice and would not be back for another hour at least, giving the three girls plenty of time to go over the events that had unfolded.

Louisa blushed sheepishly, "I'm sorry!" She said, fiddling with her sleeve. "It's still pretty new and I didn't want Albert to find out; he's friends with Shaun and I don't want to ruin that!"

"We understand, Soph," said Maggie gently. Tonks moved to protest but was quickly silenced by a subtle glare from the blonde-haired witch. "But he will find out eventually."

"I know. I just wanted a bit time to enjoy it before all hell breaks loose," At Maggie and Tonks' blank expression, Louisa sighed. "Come on, I know what you're gonna say. You're going to list off all the reasons why I shouldn't date him. Merlin knows, Albert's going to be a hundred times worse."

Maggie and Tonks shared a tentative look, both unsure of what to say next. It was Maggie who spoke first, quiet and reluctantly.

"We're not gonna say that," Maggie sighed before she looked over at Louisa. "It's your choice after all, and if you want to date Newberry, we'll support you. That's what friends are for."

"And if he breaks your heart, he'd better watch out," Tonks muttered under her breath.

Ignoring Tonks' comment, Louisa looked over at Maggie unsurely.

"Really? You would do that?" She asked.

Maggie knew full well of that Louisa was asking and all that it entailed. Though reluctantly – very reluctantly – Maggie nodded her head.

"We support you."

The next morning, Louisa sat at the Gryffindor table, next to Newberry with a wide smile stretched across her face. Albert was nowhere to be seen and from the Hufflepuff table, Maggie could see the hurt in Louisa's eye, though she disguised it well. Maggie knew that the girl's twin would come around eventually, but the support of her friends had greatly helped Louisa. Eddie, and to some extent, Adam, had initially reacted badly, but the pair was slowly coming around. Kevin hadn't even batted an eyelid and confessed that he had an inkling to the relationship for a while now.

As she sat at the Hufflepuff table, a stack of buttered toast in front of her, Maggie's eyes began search for someone. She caught his eye and gave a brief nod, to which he returned. Picking up a piece of toast, Maggie pondered the recent events and wondered how in the name of Merlin she could ever be civil towards Charlie Weasley.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's note \- It's Friday! And that means a new chapter! I hope you are all as excited as I am, this chapter sees a revamp of a storyline I originally put in my other work, but this one is more developed and will hopefully draw a lot of positive feedback! **

**Of course, your favorite Weasley is featured, alongside a double dose of drama. For those of you who have read my original work 'Annie, Are You Okay?', many of you may recognise this chapter but I promise you, it's filled with more twists and turns than last time!**

**A special thank you to Dreamystranger and - thank you so much for your reviews, they both made my day this week! **

**Don't forget to review if you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

_When real people fall down in life, they get right back up and keep walking._

_\- **Sarah Jessica Parker**_

* * *

_March 1989_

"No, no, no! I can't, Nymph, seriously, I can't!" exclaimed Maggie.

"Please, Maggie! You know I wouldn't ask you unless I had no options left!" Tonks cried. "Look, I'll get down on my knees and beg, please!"

"Why can't someone else do it? You know I'm hopeless at it!"

"You're the only one capable!"

Maggie turned to face the metamorphmagus, halting her in her tracks.

"This is the exact reason why you're supposed to have reserves," said Maggie, shaking her head. "You told me you'd sorted reserves after try-outs!"

Tonks smiled sheepishly, "So it turns out, I might have forgotten to pick a reserve seeker," She mumbled. At Maggie's incredulous glance, Tonks through her hands up in exasperation. "I'd forgotten that Natalia Smith had graduated last year! And the try-outs for seeker this year were awful – you remember that! It's lucky we managed to find a seeker at all."

"A seeker who is currently in the Hospital Wing with the worst case of Mumblemumps Madam Pomfrey has ever seen," exclaimed Maggie.

"Well, I doubt he planned it...and when I'm through with him, he'll think Dragon-pox is paradise..."

"Nymph!"

"Kidding!" Tonks shook her head, tiredly rubbing her eyes. "Please, Mags, you know I wouldn't ask you unless I was desperate. But truth be told, you're my only option. You're the only one with the slightest bit of talent as seeker."

Maggie sighed, pressing her hand to her forehead, "Please tell me you've at least got a reserve chaser."

Tonks simply grinned.

And that was how Maggie found herself the following day, transfiguring her Quidditch robes to say 'Seeker' instead of 'Chaser'. There was a bitter taste in her mouth as she did so; Maggie had only ever played as a Chaser. True, she had filled in as Seeker during practice and mock games, but they were completely different circumstances. Then, she didn't have the whole school watching her. Then, she didn't have the pressure of winning on her.

Then, she didn't have to go head to head against Charlie Weasley.

"Alright, team, I know we've had a hard couple of months," Tonks began, wringing her hands nervously as her eyes scanned over the players.

Maggie raised an eyebrow and exchanged a look with Alastair Smith, a fourth-year who played Beater. The entire team was sat in the changing rooms, dressed in their canary yellow robes, listening to Tonks nervously. Maggie could vaguely hear the cheers echoing from the pitch, and she fidgeted restlessly.

"So, this is only our second match, so no pressure. But we really need to win this!" said Tonks, and she looked over at Maggie. "I know that Robert being in the Hospital Wing with Mumblemumps isn't exactly ideal, but Maggie agreed to play as seeker and we've got Rohan filling is chaser, so I'm feeling confident!"

Tonks paused, gesturing to her fellow teammates with an enthusiastic, albeit forced, smile. Maggie gave her an encouraging nod, and the other girl looked slightly more reassured.

"Inspiring, isn't she?" Eddie muttered from his seat on the other side of Maggie. The blonde witch was quick to silence him with a swift, forceful kick to the leg, before turning back to Tonks with an encouraging, though slightly forced, smile.

"We need to win as quickly as possible. Gryffindor's got a new keeper, but considering he took a Bludger to the head two minutes in during his last game, I'm not too bothered about him."

Tonks was met with blank looks from the majority of the team, while Maggie just looked at the witch in question. Tonks made a frustrated noise and threw her hands up in exasperation.

"Ok, so I know in the past few years, we haven't done great! Maybe we should have had more training! But I've done the best I could! Am I good at telling people what to do? No! Should I have spent my Saturdays hexing Slytherins when we could have been practicing? No! Should I have drank all that coffee before our first game? Probably not!"

Tonks paused mid-rant and stared into space in question.

"Where was I going with this? I had a point."

"I think what Tonks means to say," Maggie said slowly. "Is that even though we're not at our best, we can still kick some sorry Gryffindor arse."

Tonks clicked her fingers and pointed at Maggie with a proud smile.

"Exactly, Titch!" exclaimed Tonks. "We can do this!"

"Yeah, show those Gryffindors we're not to be messed with!" Alistair chimed in with a grin. The rest of the team began to nod in agreement.

"Yeah, this is our year!"

"We can win! Show those Gryffindors!"

"Ok team!" Tonks hollered over the rising noise. "Let's do this! And if anyone ends up in the Hospital Wing, I'll kill them!" She was met with laughter, making her frown. "What?"

"Tonks, if anyone ends up in the Hospital Wing, it'll be you!" Maggie said, patting the taller girl's back with a smile "You did last time!"

"Now that was only because I drank all that coffee and was shaking worse than Chihuahua!" Tonks defended, a reddish blush creeping onto her cheeks.

"Tonks, you could barely stand upright _before_ the game!"

The two witches continued to tease one another until the time came for the match to start. The team walked out onto the pitch and took their starting position, facing the Gryffindor team, while Tonks stepped forward into the middle of the pitch. The applause around the stands was almost deafening.

Maggie smiled when she saw Louisa, Kevin and Adam, along with the rest of her year, stood in the stands, animatedly waving various flags and banners, all decorated with the signature Hufflepuff yellow and black. As well as the Hufflepuffs, a large portion of Ravenclaw were supporting Hufflepuff that day. Maggie's smiled deepened slightly when she saw Joe McFarlan brandishing a yellow flag. He gave a wave when Maggie's eyes landed on him, and Maggie felt the heat slowly creep up her neck.

"And here comes the Hufflepuff team!" Holly Marshall, a fifth-year Ravenclaw who acted as commentator, told the crowd. "Tonks, Smith, Melbourne, Turner, Chandra, Summers and Ainsworth!"

The Hufflepuffs in the stands gave an almighty cheer, almost drowning out the collective boos from the Gryffindors and some of the Slytherins.

"And here are the Gryffindor team! Cave, Fox, Cooper, Pinder, Leahy, Wood and Weasley!"

"Captains, shake hands!" said Madam Hooch briskly.

Tonks and Charlie approached each other, Tonks keeping her face expressionless while Charlie smirked. Their handshake barely lasted a second, Tonks pulling away as quickly as she could. For a second, Maggie swore Charlie's eyes flickered towards where she stood, but she remained vacant.

"Mount your brooms!" called Madam Hooch. "And three... Two… One..."

The whistle pierced the air but was lost in the noise of the crowd roar. Maggie kicked off the ground and flew into the air on her broomstick – a Comet Two Sixty. Her ponytail whipped around behind her, making Maggie thankful she had the foresight to tie her hair back before the game.

"And the Quaffle is taken by Rohan Chandra, who passes it to Daisy Melbourne -" Holly announced. "- Followed by a neat pass to Ian Turner. Turner takes aim, and Gryffindor Keeper, Oliver Wood – misses! - That's 10 points to Hufflepuff!"

A cheer burst out from the Hufflepuff stands, drowning out the groans that sounded from the Gryffindors. Maggie grinned as she soared over the stadium and sent Tonks a wide smile, in between squinting for the snitch. Tonks punched the air in victory as she flew back towards the Hufflepuff end of the stadium, leaving a slightly downcast Gryffindor keeper in her wake.

"Ruth Fox is in possession of the Quaffle – throws it to Cave – and it is intercepted by Melbourne!"

The longer the game went on, the more anxious Maggie got. Hufflepuff was well over a hundred points up, though Gryffindor was slowly catching up. Maggie spared a quick glance over her shoulder as she flew by the stands and saw that Charlie was hot on her tail. She urged her broom forwards as they neared the Gryffindor goal posts, before darting upwards at the last second and flying off in the other direction.

Maggie looked back and saw that she had managed to shake Charlie, though she knew it wouldn't last long. He had the experience she lacked, and it was clear that he was the better player. Narrowly avoided a Bludger that one of the Gryffindor Beater's had aimed at her, Maggie quickly regained her balance. Shaking her head slightly, her eyes fell upon the Ravenclaw stands, where a flash of gold jolted upwards.

Maggie didn't waste a second, urging her broomstick forward.

"And it looks like Ainsworth has spotted the snitch!" Holly exclaimed. "Weasley quickly follows, not far behind -"

Maggie didn't risk looking behind her, nor how high she was. As the snitch flew higher and higher, so did she. The space between the snitch and herself slowly began to decrease, and Maggie threw herself forwards, her right hand grasping the small snitch.

The stadium exploded just as a shadow came into Maggie's eyesight. She barely had time to react before it collided with her and Maggie felt her hands slip from the broomstick. For a second, everything stood still. Maggie could vaguely see everything rush past her before everything faded she knew no more.

* * *

"She's gonna have such a killer headache when she wakes up."

"I still can't believe that git! Do you reckon he did it on purpose?"

"Thought you were going to kill him, Tonks."

"Believe me, I still may."

"I think she's waking up!"

"Maggie? Maggie, can you hear me?"

The voices circled round Maggie's head as she slowly came to. She tried to open her eyes, but her eyelids were that heavy, Maggie struggled to do so. Her fingers tingled, and she felt someone take her hand and rub it slowly, almost in a soothing manner. Maggie gradually felt herself regain control of her body, managing to move her fingers before she gave a low moan. Her eyes fluttered open, the light of the day blinding her sight, and she moved to sit up, only to be gently pushed back down.

"Hey, easy now."

Maggie blinked, her eyes finally readjusting to the light, and she groaned when she realised she was in the Hospital Wing. She looked up and saw the entire Hufflepuff Quidditch team, as well as Louisa, Adam, and Kevin, gathered around her bed, all looking at Maggie anxiously.

"Welcome back to the world of the living, Sleeping Beauty," Tonks grinned but Maggie could see the worry in her eyes.

"What happened?" Maggie asked quietly, still trying to comprehend what had happened. "How long have I been out for?"

"About six hours," said Louisa, who seemed very pale beneath the yellow and black paint that decorated her face.

"We won the match though," Eddie added quickly. "We're well in first place now, got a hundred and fifty points from the snitch alone! And with points from the actual match -"

"What Eddie means," Adam interjected and sent Eddie an icy glare. "Is that you fell from your broom just after you caught the snitch. You were up that high, we all thought you were dead!"

"But what happened?" said Maggie. "How did I fall?"

Tonks exchanged a look with the others and when she looked back at Maggie with a worried expression that looked out of place on the typically smiling witch.

"Maggie, please don't overreact," Tonks said warily.

Maggie frowned, "When you say that, I know I will."

"Just tell her, Tonks," said Adam with a sigh. "She's gonna be mad no matter what."

"Fine," Tonks muttered, turning back to Maggie. "Just after you caught the snitch – great catch, by the way – Weasley crashed into you and you fell about – what? 50 feet?"

"More like a hundred," Kevin interjected. "It was easily the length of a football pitch."

The other muggle-borns nodded in agreement while the others looked blankly. Maggie groaned and fell back onto her pillow.

"I'll bloody kill him!" She exclaimed.

"To be fair, it was an accident," added Louisa quickly. "He's been really torn up about it; Albert says he's been trying to get in here all day, only Cerberus here threatened to castrate him."

Maggie looked at Tonks with a raised eyebrow. The bubble-gum haired witch looked sheepish as she fiddled with her sleeve.

"What?! He'd probably deserve it!" Tonks defended.

"At least we won!" Alistair pipped up. "We're in first place to win the House Cup, just wait until we rub that in Gryffindor's face!"

The team cheered while Maggie managed a faint smile, only just beginning to realise the aching pain in her head. Madam Pomfrey soon bustled over and waved away the Quidditch team, but disgruntledly let Tonks and Louisa stay. Adam, Eddie and Kevin trooped out behind them, all sullen at their banishment. Before he left, Adam promised Maggie that the infamous Hufflepuff party planned for later that night had been postponed; Adam stating that they couldn't have the party without the person responsible for their win.

Madam Pomfrey fussed over Maggie – she was the only patient in the Hospital Wing as Robert Murphy, the Hufflepuff Seeker Maggie had been filling in for, had been released a few hours earlier, leaving Maggie as a priority in the Hospital wing. Tonks rolled her eyes and scoffed slightly when Maggie began badgering Madam Pomfrey on all the different spells and potions she used.

"Of course, you would be more interested in the healing side of things," Tonks said. "This is probably like a dream come true for you, seeing all this up close!"

A pillow aimed at Tonks' head quickly shut the witch up.

Night soon came, and it wasn't long until Madam Pomfrey told Tonks and Louisa to leave. The Healer was adamant that Maggie needed peace and quiet in order to rest. With the promise of returning in the morning, Tonks and Louisa left, the former looking gloomy at the prospect of leaving her almost other half behind. Maggie sighed and fell back onto her pillow, suddenly feeling rather bored and lonely.

Madam Pomfrey gave Maggie one final check before bed, giving Maggie her nightclothes that had been sent from her dorm, before retiring herself, leaving Maggie the only person in the Hospital Wing. Maggie slipped into her oversized T-shirt, bearing the legend '_Ghostbusters' _and shorts, pulled on an old pair of socks and wandered back from the bathroom, sliding across the floor.

Sat in the surprisingly comfortable hospital bed, Maggie curled up under the sheets and grabbed the book that was sat on the table beside her. She smiled slightly as she traced the cover, her fingers gliding over the title '_Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'. _The book had been a Christmas present from her Mother and, along with her other books, was treasured by Maggie.

Maggie snuggled down, setting the book on her lap as she began to read. Her thoughts began to wander, thinking about the mundane. They briefly drifting to the events of that day, but Maggie became engrossed in the world of the Chocolate Factory that was slowly coming to life in her mind. Her eyelids began to feel heavy and it wasn't long until Maggie dropped off, her mind in the fantasy of the fictional world while the book remained open on her lap.

* * *

Maggie awoke the next day to find her book resting peacefully on the table beside her bed, though she couldn't remember putting it there. Madam Pomfrey wasted no time in checking Maggie over. Maggie was handed numerous amounts of potions, each tasting worse than the last. She recognised a few and inquired about the others, earning herself a smile from the older Healer.

After she handed Maggie the last potion – a vivid green concoction that made Maggie's nose tingle – Madam Pomfrey gave Maggie a final check over before she insisted that Maggie was to remain in the Hospital Wing for the remainder of the day, much to Maggie's dismay.

Numerous people appeared by Maggie's bedside that day, which cheered Maggie up. Tonks was the first to appear just after breakfast and managed to crash into a potions cabinet and stub her foot before she had even said two words. Maggie laughed as she watched Tonks apologise profoundly to Madam Pomfrey while to haphazardly tried to clean up the spilled potions. Madam Pomfrey waved the girl away with a glare, before she vanished the potions and strode away into her office.

Tonks plonked herself on the foot of Maggie's bed with a bright grin, her hair today a shade of neon yellow. With an equally wide grin, Tonks pulled various Honeydukes sweets out of her bag, as well as exploding snap and a few of Maggie's personal belongings.

"Thought you might want to cheer the place up a bit," Tonks said as she threw Maggie's threadbare teddy bear at her. "This place is a bit dull and depressing after all."

Louisa, Adam, Eddie and Kevin arrived not long after, each carrying sweets and cards. They all pulled up chairs and sat around Maggie's bed, making the witch feel slightly embarrassed. She pulled down the sleeves of her oversized jumper and scolded herself for not changing her clothes when she had the chance.

They stayed for most of the day and would have stayed longer if Madam Pomfrey had allowed it. She once again insisted that Maggie needed her rest and though she wouldn't admit it, Maggie was exhausted. Tonks stayed a bit longer than the others, to Maggie's delight. She waited until the others had disappeared out of the door, before launching herself at Maggie. Her arms wrapped around Maggie, bringing her into a tight hug.

"Never scare me like that again!" Tonks murmured to a slightly stunned Maggie. "I thought you'd died."

"I'm fine, Nymph," Maggie replied, shuffling forward to embrace the neon yellow-haired witch. "No harm done."

Tonks pulled away slowly and shifted further up the bed so that the two girls were sitting crosslegged and parallel to one another. Maggie's eyes widened when she noticed just how pale Tonks was. She looked tired, dark bags under her eyes indicating she had barely slept the night before and her hair was a mess.

"What the hell, Nymphie!" Maggie exclaimed. "You've had your appearance morphed all day long? You must be shattered! What were you thinking?"

"I didn't want people to laugh," Tonks muttered, pulling her knees up to her chest and looking down. "W-We all thought the worst when you fell. Everyone was panicking a-and -" Tonks trailed off and looked at Maggie with wide, tired eyes. "You're my best friend, Maggie. It was my fault you got hurt, I made you play as Seeker. If I hadn't, none of this would have happened!"

Maggie smiled and shuffled over to Tonks, putting her arms around the witch and she hugged her tightly. Tonks managed a small smile and she looked at Maggie.

"Listen, this is most definitely _not_ your fault," Maggie said, stressing her words. "It's Quidditch; someone is going to get injured and its a given fact that someone will end up in the Hospital Wing, though my money was on you."

Tonks hiccupped a laugh through her watery eyes.

"You're my best mate too, and I couldn't ask for a better one. But I'm _fine_," Maggie stressed the last word and Tonks gave her a doubtful look. "Seriously! And if anything like that happened to you, I would be in the same state as you. Know why?"

Tonks shook her head.

"Because we're more than best mates," said Maggie simply. "You are my sister, Tonks, blood relations buggered. We are. We're like two sides of the same galleon, two peas in a pod!"

Tonks grinned and hugged Maggie tightly, and the blonde-haired witch returned the gesture. She wiped the tears off her cheeks and her face formed her signature bright grin.

"Sisters, eh?" Tonks grinned. "Well then, as your sister, I feel like you should name your first child after me!"

"Fat chance," Maggie replied with a smile. "You hate your name, I'm not cursing a poor baby with that horror!"

Tonks shrugged, "It was worth a try. Though I do expect to be godmother."

"My poor future child," Maggie said sarcastically and shook her head. "You're gonna be the type of aunt that sneaks them Firewhiskey, aren't you?"

"Yep!"

* * *

Maggie was discharged from the Hospital Wing on Monday morning, completely cured with a mass of potions and strict instructions from Madam Pomfrey. Tonks met her outside, with her uniform and school supplies. After she changed, Maggie and Tonks headed to the Great Hall for breakfast, Maggie eager to get to her lessons.

The entire of Hufflepuff house was ecstatic when Maggie and Tonks walked into the Great Hall. Applause sounded from various Hufflepuffs, and Maggie blushed before taking her usual seat in between Tonks and Adam. She helped herself to toast and smiled at the people who came over to congratulate her, though she did feel somewhat awkward at this.

"I only caught a bloody snitch," Maggie whispered to Tonks. "It's not like I invented the cure for dragon pox!"

Tonks rolled her eyes. "We're in the lead to win the Cup because you caught that snitch!" She told Maggie, who still frowned. "Thanks to you, we might actually have a shot at the Cup this year."

Maggie shook her head and returned to her cup of tea. Tonks sent her an impish grin before leaning forward.

"Anyways," She drawled, resting her head in her hands. "The Dragon Pox cure is in the future, isn't that right, Miss Healer?"

Maggie pushed Tonks playfully and rolled her eyes.

"Yeah right, like I'm going to cure Dragon Pox," said Maggie as she took a bite of her toast. "I can barely fix a broken toe!"

"That's all in the future," Tonks said as she absentmindedly waved her hand. Her eyes darted over to the large doors and narrowed. "Speaking of Dragon Pox…."

Maggie frowned in confusion and turned round to see what Tonks was glaring at. When her gaze fell upon one of the three figures who had walked into the Great Hall, Maggie realised what was making Tonks agitated.

Charlie Weasley walked into the Great Hall, along with Bill and his other brother, who's named Maggie vaguely recalled as Percy. Brown eyes met blue as Charlie looked over at the Hufflepuff table and his gaze fell on Maggie. He began to walk towards the witch, much to her surprise, but Bill grabbed his arm to stop him.

Maggie and Tonks both watched as Bill whispered stern words to his brother before looking up at Maggie. Clearly annoyed, Charlie scowled and sat at the Gryffindor table, but looked over at Maggie one last time. Maggie tilted her head slightly, pondering what just happened.

"I'm surprised he's still alive."

Both Maggie and Tonks looked over to Kevin, who was sat a few seats down.

"What? Why?" Maggie asked.

Kevin gave a knowing look, "Well, between her -" Kevin pointed at Tonks. "- And the rest of the House, Weasley's had his own lynch mob on his tail. I swear, Tonks nearly hexed him when he showed up at the Hospital Wing. I'm surprised Professor Sprout didn't threatened her with detention, the way she was going!"

Maggie frowned and looked over at Tonks with an eyebrow raised in question. The witch avoided Maggie's eye with a mischievous smile but let out a laugh and turned to face the blonde-haired witch.

"Ok, so I might have threatened to hex his sorry arse to Mexico if he came within ten feet of the Hospital Wing," Tonks admitted, raising her hands up in defence. "But to be fair, he would deserve it! And for the record, Spout loves me."

After a moment of silence to comprehend what had been said, Maggie burst into laughter, clutching her tummy as she did. Tonks smiled and joined in, and it took a few minutes for the two witches' laughter to die down. Wiping away a stray tear of laughter, Maggie looked at Tonks with an amused expression.

"But Mexico? Seriously?"

Before Tonks could reply, dozens of owls swooped into the Great Hall, signaling that the post had arrived. Maggie shook her head and returned to eating her toast, just as Gatsby fluttered down with a letter tied to his leg. The owl hooted as Maggie untied the letter and happily nibbled Maggie's toast crusts before nibbling the witch's ear affectionately and flying off.

Maggie had barely began reading the anxiously written letter from her father, when Tonks elbowed Maggie in the stomach. With a scowl, Maggie looked up at the witch, annoyed, only to see Tonks frantically pointing to the Gryffindor table with a wicked grin. Frowning, Maggie looked over to where she pointed, and her eyes widened.

A disheveled owl laid in a heap, unconscious before Weasley, who looked more petrified as the seconds went on. Maggie barely had time to spot the red envelope that was slowly beginning to smoke before there was a loud explosion and a voice boomed throughout the Great Hall.

"CHARLES SEPITMUS WEASLEY!"

"This should be good," Tonks muttered to no one in general, knowing the extent of Mrs Weasley's anger.

"HOW DARE YOU KNOCK THAT POOR GIRL OFF HER BROOM! WHAT KIND OF SPORTSMANSHIP IS IT TO KNOCK YOUR OPPONENT OUT OF THE SKY WHEN YOU HAVE SEEN THEY HAVE THE SNITCH! YOU COULD HAVE KILLED HER! I AM ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED! WHY, I SHOULD STOP LETTING YOU PLAY QUIDDITCH ENTIRELY!"

A collective gasp sounded from the Gryffindor table.

"-AND WHAT AN EXAMPLE TO SET TO YOUR SIBLINGS! YOU MARCH YOU TO THAT HOSPITAL WING AND APOLOGISE TO THAT GIRL THIS INSTANT! YOU HAD BEST HOPE YOU'VE DONE THE GIRL NO SERIOUS DAMAGE! YOUR BROOM PRIVILEGES ARE REVOKED, YOUNG MAN, AS SOON AS YOU GET HOME! DON'T YOU PUT EVEN ANOTHER TOE OUT OF LINE, OR THERE WILL BE SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES, CHARLES WEASLEY!"

The howler then burst into flames, scattering ashes across the Gryffindor table. That, however, was not what people were looking at. The entire Hogwarts student population, Maggie included, had their eyes fixed on Charlie Weasley, whose face was red and terrified.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's note \- Saturday update! Sorry, it's a day late, I've been super busy this weekend and this is the first chance I've had to post an update. On the bright side, this is a really good chapter for those of you who are fans of Maggie and Charlie (I think so, at least). It takes a bit of a dark turn so you have been warned!**

**Thank you again to everyone who's read this story - don't forget to leave a review!**

* * *

_She had a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach, like when you're swimming and you want to put your feet down on something solid, but the water's deeper than you think and there's nothing there._

_\- **Julia Gregson, East of the Sun**_

* * *

_March 1989_

"He's looking at you again," Tonks said quietly.

Maggie ducked her head, suddenly feeling more conscious of her appearance. Hesitantly, she looked up and made eye contact with the boy stood across the room. She gave a shy smile, which was greeted with a wide grin. Maggie blushed and looked away quickly, her eyes moving back to Tonks.

"Why, though?" Maggie whispered, her eyes flickering over to Joe, who had since turned to talk to Eddie. "Why is he looking at me?"

Tonks rolled her eyes and gave the blonde witch a playful shove.

"He fancies you, you idiot!" Tonks said and Maggie's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh don't give me that look, it's obvious!"

"How? How is it obvious?" Maggie asked, her voice rising slightly.

Tonks shook her head in exasperation before she turned and started chatting to Adam. Maggie's eyes darted around the room until they finally landed on Joe, who was still in deep conversation with Eddie. Maggie felt the heat rise to her cheeks once more, before she looked down at her lap, nervously fiddling her fingers.

Though it wasn't the first time Maggie had noticed a boy, it was certainly the most significant. Over the years, Maggie had had one or two boyfriends, but nothing serious. She mentally shuddered when she thought of the incident in fourth-year with Nathan McLaggen, and how awful she had felt afterward. Though seeing him be the victim of a transfiguration spell in front of all the school helped to cheer Maggie up.

Strangely enough, whenever a boy showed Maggie interest other than that of a friendly manner, an accident would happen, prompting the said boy to rebuff the blonde witch. Maggie put this down to her incredibly bad luck and brushed it off. Though she had her fleeting moments, Maggie had never been one for romance.

Maggie sighed and pressed a hand to her forehead. The thumping pain had been nagging Maggie all day but she was too stubborn to go to the Hospital Wing twice in the space of a week. Her eyes darted up and widened in alarm as Joe walked over to where Maggie was sat. Maggie quickly turned to Tonks, only to find her stood just out of reach. The now blue-haired witch shot Maggie a mischievous smile before she returned to her conversation with Adam.

"Hey, Maggie," Maggie's head snapped up and she gave a nervous smile.

"Hi Joe," said Maggie shyly, as she fiddled with her sleeves. Joe gave a wide smile, and Maggie blushed once more.

Surprisingly, Maggie's conversation with Joe went a lot more smoothly than she thought it would. He was funny, laughed at her abysmal attempts at humour, and showed a genuine interest when she spoke of her muggle life.

Her eyes kept checking her wristwatch, and Maggie found herself cursing at how quickly the time passed, knowing that she had prefect duties to attend to. Maggie smiled as Joe delved into a discussion about the most recent Montrose Magpies' game. Maggie, of course, insisted that the Holyhead Harpies were the best team in the league, and while Joe did put up an argument against the statement, he eventually conceded that the Harpies were a good team and no doubt the underdogs of the league.

"But not because they're women," Joe quickly added when he noticed Maggie's questioning stare.

As time passed, Maggie found herself becoming more comfortable around Joe. It was the first time she'd properly spoken to him (opposed to ogling from afar), and Maggie found him to be good-natured and amiable. He listened to what Maggie had to say, offered his opinions at intervals and when they were discussing Quidditch teams, he didn't ignore her thoughts and opinions but rather challenged them in a calm, intellectual manner.

It felt like no time had passed at all, but Maggie's wristwatch signalled it to be dead-on eight o'clock, meaning she was actually late for her prefect rounds, something that rarely happened.

"Don't worry about it," Joe smiled as Maggie apologised profoundly for having to leave. "Being a prefect is a responsibility we both signed up for; we know the demands."

Maggie smiled at his words. She blushed slightly when Joe asked if she was free the following weekend and whether Maggie would like to go to Hogsmeade with him. She quickly (perhaps a bit too eagerly) replied and, with another apology, sped off. She offered Tonks a wide, ecstatic grin as she left the library, the other girl giving her a cheerful thumbs-up. In all of the confusion, Maggie realised that she had taken longer than expected to leave and was now extremely late for her prefect rounds.

Decorum damned, Maggie raced up the stairs towards the sixth floor. She reasoned that Weasley would no doubt be late, as per usual, so she could probably get away with her tardiness. If Weasley ever found out that the usually punctual Maggie was late, he'd never let her forget it. Her head was still pounding – she'd managed to ignore it while speaking to Joe, with the exception of the occasional wince than she managed to hide. Tonks' voice echoed through her mind, urging her to go and see Madam Pomfrey but Maggie pushed the voice away. The last thing she needed was to spend more time in the Hospital Wing, no matter how curious she was about healing.

Maggie narrowly avoided a group of third-year Gryffindors on their way to the library, cursing herself once more as she reached the fourth-floor corridor.

_Just two more floors to go_, Maggie groaned to herself. Tonks' words from earlier that year rang through her head and Maggie was thankful she wanted to become a Healer, and nothing to physically strenuous.

It seemed to take forever, but Maggie finally reached the sixth floor. She groaned, however, at the sight which met her eyes. There stood Charlie Weasley, lazily leaning against the wall, with not a care in the world. When he saw Maggie, his eyes lit up.

"You're not usually late, Ainsworth," said Weasley, a smirk pulling at his lips.

"Yeah? Well, you usually are. Snitch on me and I'll tell your brother just how many times you've been late, or just not bothered to show up," Maggie snapped in between pants, trying her hardest to catch her breath.

Weasley held his hands up in defense, "Ok! Calm down. What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing. Come on, we'll start up the Towers, then patrol around the floors," said Maggie as she walked towards the staircase.

"Sounds good to me." Weasley replied.

They started walking up the staircase towards the Astronomy Tower. The pair walked in silence, Maggie trying her hardest to ignore the boy next to her. Despite being a prefect for seven months and working countless patrols alongside him, being in the same space as Charlie Weasley put Maggie on edge. She did not know what it was that made her feel like this; perhaps it was the annoying, lazy grin he offered her, or how he knew the exact ways to irate her, but Maggie dreaded doing her rounds with him, especially when it was evening patrols. Despite being in a castle as large as Hogwarts, she always felt isolated during her rounds, more notable so, when Weasley was with her, as she tried her utmost hardest to ignore him.

"So then…" Weasley said slowly, his hands stuffed in his pockets.

"What?" said Maggie, the irritation clear in her voice, as she walked down the corridor, noticing how Weasley's pace had slowed.

She could feel her headache getting worse, making her feel slightly dizzy. On top of that, in an attempt to ignore Weasley, she'd begun to think about her OWL revision, which stressed her even further. Despite her best efforts to effectively plan her time, Maggie was struggling to find time for everything. She could not give up on her prefect duties. Hufflepuff was desperate to win the Quidditch Cup and despite the win, it was clear that the team needed more practice, especially if another person was incapable of playing, which meant more practice sessions. Maggie was up to her eyeballs in homework; she even found herself dreading the prospect of Transfiguration, despite it being her favourite subject, but the pressure of achieving good grades to secure a place on the Healing programme was slowly wearing Maggie thin.

"Nothing. Just making conversation. You know, being friendly."

Maggie gave a stiff nod and the atmosphere turned silent once more. Though Maggie was grateful for the peace and quiet, it was obvious that Weasley wanted to talk though.

"What did you make of last week's Care of Magical Creatures lesson?"

"It was good," Maggie gave a short, curt reply and hoped that Weasley would get the message that she was not in the mood for conversation. It was clear, however, that he had not.

"Yeah. It would have been better if I could see the Thestrals, though. You know, to study them. Although, there supposed to be bad omens, according to Trelawney."

"They get a bad rep. I think they're misunderstood; just because they look like dead Abraxan, doesn't mean they're evil," The words escaped Maggie before she realised she'd said them.

Weasley stopped in his tracks. He turned to look at her, his eyebrows raised in question. Maggie could see the curiosity in his eyes, and her stomach sank.

"You can see them?"

"Yes," said Maggie quietly. She glared at the floor in an attempt to avoid his gaze, knowing full-well where the conversation was going.

"Who did you see die?"

"…My Mum."

Weasley was silent for a moment. He made an exasperated noise before rubbing his forehead tiredly and turning back to face Maggie, his expression sincere.

"Look, I'm sorry for asking. It was me being stupid, I wasn't thinking," Weasley said slowly, avoiding eye contact with her. Maggie was somewhat grateful for this small gesture, as her eyes had begun to water and the last thing she wanted was for Weasley to see her cry.

"It's alright. You didn't know," replied Maggie, her voice low and heavy.

The pair stood awkwardly in the middle of the corridor, neither one of them knowing what to say. The atmosphere had quickly turned heavy, and the tension thick enough to be cut with a knife. Maggie somehow found herself staring at Weasley, but why, she did not know. She had only ever seen the arrogant side of him; the part that marvelled in pranking Maggie and causing her embarrassment. But now, Maggie saw a different side of him. Sincere and caring, his expression displayed a range of emotions that Maggie had not thought him capable of.

It wasn't until the pair walked along the fourth-floor corridor did either of them speak, having walked the entirety of the Astronomy Tower and the West Tower Battlements in silence. Maggie's attention was elsewhere, in her own little world, pondering Weasley's apology, with her mind occasionally flickering to her mother. Her headache persisted but Maggie continued to ignore it. At first, she did not notice Weasley's mumbled words, too engrossed in her own thoughts but when he loudly cleared his throat, Maggie snapped back into reality, her eyes sliding over to where Weasley stood.

Weasley appeared uncomfortable under her gaze, fidgeting and shifting his weight from foot to foot. His hands were still stuffed in his robe pockets, and Maggie noticed his nervous expression, biting his lip slightly.

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry about the Quidditch match," He began slowly, as though the words were bitter and difficult to say. "I really didn't see you'd caught the snitch, honestly. I just...I don't know what happened; one minute you were in front of me, and then you were falling. But I swear, I didn't do it on purpose -"

"Weasley," Maggie quickly cut him off when she noticed how worked up he seemed. In truth, she was slightly spooked at how apologetic he seemed, having not expected it at all. "It's okay. Honestly, it's Quidditch, the game's actually quite dull unless someone ends up in the Hospital Wing," Once again, the words slipped out of her mouth before she even realised she'd said them.

Weasley gave a short laugh and despite everything, Maggie found herself laughing alongside him. Where the laughter came from, she did not know and while she would deny it vehemently, it felt pleasant to laugh with Charlie Weasley. Strange, but nice. His laugh was hearty; loud and unrestrained, a stark contrast to Maggie's high-pitched, tinkling giggle.

"Anyways, truce?" said Maggie, sticking her hand out. She noticed Weasley's raised eyebrow and found herself rolling her eyes. "Honestly Weasley, don't overthink this; it's not like we're going to be best mates, it's simply that we'll be more..._civil_ towards another."

"Civil?" Weasley smirked. "That's the term you want to use?"

Maggie shrugged light-heartedly, "Best way I could describe it," She said plainly. "After all, now Louisa and Newberry are dating, we should be somewhat deferential towards each other," Maggie stared up at Weasley, then back down at her head and sighed, shaking her head. "It's not going to bite, you know."

"I'm more worried about you hexing me actually," said Weasley, though Maggie sensed the sarcasm in his voice and tilted her head curiously.

"You give me far too much credit, Weasley, if I wanted to hex you, I'd be far more sneaky about it," Maggie smirked, earning another laugh from Weasley. He looked down at her hand again, contemplated for a moment before grabbing it and shaking.

"Truce," He said with a nod. He looked up at her with a wicked grin. "Not friends?"

Maggie held up a stern hand, "Let's not move too quick. How about we try being civil towards one another first?"

Weasley shrugged, a smile stretching across his lips. Maggie found herself smiling too. Her mind was spinning – how did they end up here? It surprised Maggie how civil she was being, especially towards Weasley, who had antagonised her for the past five years. But when she'd seen past his egotistical façade, Maggie had seen something underneath, kind and good-hearted which made Maggie think she may have been quick to judge Weasley. Again, not that she'd ever admit that to anyone.

"Well, isn't this a touching scene?"

The hiss of a voice made Maggie recoil. Both she and Weasley turned to see Scaboir leaning against a pillar at the end of the corridor, arms crossed, and a sly look plastered across his face. His beady black eyes met Maggie's brown orbs and she gave an involuntary shudder. In years to come, looking back she would not the irony of this situation, how it mirrored the incident in first-year, but in the present, all Maggie did was freeze.

"What do you want, Scaboir?" Charlie demanded, his tone harsh.

Scaboir gave a low chuckle, his expression changing into a predatory smirk. Warning bells sounded in Maggie's head as she felt a nervous shiver run down her spine. In an instant, the air seemed to freeze, turning cold despite the angry heat radiating from Weasley.

"I were just out for a late-night wander," said Scaboir, his face dark and calculating. His gaze shifted from Weasley to Maggie and his smile stretched into a sneer. "And what do I find? A Mudblood and a Blood Traitor."

Beside her, Maggie felt Charlie bristle with anger. She shifted uncomfortably, hoping that a teacher or a fellow prefect would appear. Technically speaking, Scaboir was not supposed to be wandering the corridors late at night; he'd lost his prefect privileges before Christmas for 'abuse of power' as Snape had stated, but Maggie knew it was because Scaboir had been tormenting first-years and threatening to curse them. But Maggie knew full well that Scaboir often ignored curfew and wandered round the castle at night. It was a wonder he had never been caught, but a greater marvel that Maggie had never (thankfully) run into him.

That was, until now.

"It's past curfew," said Maggie, holding her head high and fixing her narrowed gaze upon him. "You should be in your common room."

Scaboir gave a look of mock horror, "And what are ya gonna to do 'bout it, Ainsworth?" He leered slowly, taking heavy, purposeful steps towards where Maggie stood. Despite his intimidating façade, Maggie remained steadfast. "What's the Mudblood gonna do?"

He cocked his head and leaned towards Maggie. He was easily five feet away from her, but Maggie could still smell his putrid breath from where she stood. Maggie had nearly forgotten Weasley was there until he stepped, planting himself in between Maggie and Scaboir. His stocky frame towered above Maggie's small figure, and he stared at Scaboir. It was almost like seeing to animals square off against one another; Weasley, the red-headed lion stood against Scaboir, the sly serpent in the grass (Maggie feeling like the useless badger in the background, trying to keep the peace before all hell broke loose – just an average day, really).

"Back off, Scaboir," Weasley snarled. His tone was harsh, and the venom dripped from each word.

Scaboir simply sneered, his eyes flickering towards Maggie, "Didn't peg ya for the type to have your guard-dog fight ya battles, Ainsworth."

This time, it was Maggie's turn to bristle in anger. All thoughts damned, she pushed past Weasley, earning cries of protest from the red-head and Maggie herself squared up against Scaboir, holding her head high and proud, despite being terrified. Her stomach was doing cartwheels and her head continued to pound; her mind screaming at her to run.

"Twenty points from Slytherin," She said coolly, staring Scaboir dead in the eye. "And detention for a week, I'm sure Professor McGonagall will be overjoyed to see you again."

Scaboir scoffed, "Do you really think you can scare me, Mudblood?"

Despite everything, Maggie smirked, knowing she had the upper-hand. One of the perks of being prefect is that she knew when anyone received a detention; which house they were in, what year they were in, and most importantly, how often they were in detention. Though Maggie did not draw on the parallels between this day and the incident in first-year until years later, Maggie had never forgotten the words that Scaboir had said to her. Or, more importantly, Scaboir's threat.

"No, I doubt I can," Maggie gave a very fake and very wide smile. From the corner of her eye, she noticed Weasley's questioning look and it took all Maggie had not to smile in victory. "But this will be, what? Your third detention slip this month alone? And, Weasley, do correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't your Head of House write to your parents when you receive three detention slips in the space of a few weeks?"

She quickly turned to face Weasley who nodded, watching as a slow grin stretched across his lips. Maggie sent him a quick wink, before turning back to face Scaboir, relishing in the fact that his sneer had begun to melt away, slowly forming a frown.

"I mean, three detentions in the space of a few weeks isn't exactly a bad thing, Merlin knows that's just a typical February for Tonks," Maggie gave a quick laugh before turning her expression serious.

"But what with you being sacked as a prefect and what I can only call, your atrocious grade in the last Transfiguration essay; did you know I helped Professor McGonagall mark those essays on Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration in my last detention? By the way, you Weasley, got an A; you need to work on the fourth principal exceptions; despite your best wishes, food cannot be conjured out of thin air."

Maggie stared up at Scaboir triumphantly. His expression had morphed into one of pure fury, and while the rational side of her conscience told her to quit while she was ahead, the part of her mind that was sick of Scaboir's bullying and intimidation urged Maggie to keep going.

"So yes, with three detentions over the past two weeks," Maggie held up a single finger, "You being sacked from your prefect role," Another finger went up, "And that Dreadful you received on your Transfiguration essay," Maggie now held three fingers in the air while Scaboir was looking positively murderous. "I'd say Daddy really won't be pleased with you," Her voice dropped into a low whisper for the last sentence, knowing that it would strike Scaboir right where it would hurt.

Not that Maggie was a cruel person. But years of putting up with Scaboir and his tormenting (even worse than Weasley's) had led to Maggie having no sympathy for her fellow classmate.

With a smile that would melt butter, Maggie turned on her heel and made towards the staircase, leaving Scaboir in her wake. She briefly caught Weasley's awe-filled expression and a surge of valour ran through her, like she was the hero in a storybook, having defeated the villain.

Maggie checked her watch and was surprised to find it later than she thought it to be. She blinked, spending time with Weasley wasn't as painful as thought. With a shake of her head, Maggie could only dream of what Tonks would say, and felt giddy with excitement at the thought of telling her best mate of how she'd stuck up for herself.

A scuffle from behind drew Maggie's attention away from her thoughts. She turned to see Weasley drop to the floor, on the receiving end of a punch from Scaboir. Maggie's eyes widened in alarm as her hand fished in her pocket, desperate to find her wand. She was a moment to late however.

Maggie looked up to see Scaboir's murderous expression fixed upon her figure. Before she could react, a streak of what looked to be purple flame fell towards her, clipping Maggie on the arm. She stumbled back, losing her footing as her arm began to scream in pain. The last thing Maggie heard was Weasley's shout before she tumbled back into darkness, Scaboir's sneer haunting her mind.

* * *

Charlie could only watch in horror as Maggie tumbled backwards down the stairs, disappearing from sight. He clutched his nose – his now broken nose – and struggled to his feet, his eyes flickering over to Scaboir and forming an intense glare that he knew could challenge his mother's. Scaboir seemed pleased by the events, his lip curling up into a sneer. The Slytherin turned to face Charlie, his dark eyes satisfied, and stalked towards the red-headed wizard.

"You sick bastard," Charlie growled, as he managed to stand, leaning against the wall for support. "You'll pay for this."

Scaboir barked out a laugh. Before Charlie could react, Scaboir's fist swung out, slamming into his stomach. Charlie fell to the floor with a groan, unable to keep his balance. He landed in a heap of limbs, crashing into the stone floor with a bang.

"The Mudblood got what she had coming," Scaboir jeered, slowly circling Charlie, his eyes fixated on the fallen wizard. "Just like you and your Blood Traitor family will."

Charlie moved to stand, but Scaboir's kick sent him hurtling back to the floor. Scaboir leered down at Charlie, before spitting at the wizard. Charlie grimaced as the spittle landed on his cheek, and he was quick to wipe it away, glaring up at the Slytherin with a murderous expression. Scaboir smirked before throwing his arms out and turning away.

"Give my regards to the Mudblood!" He called as he stalked down the corridor. "That is, if she wakes up!"

Charlie growled though he knew it was useless, and the wrong thing to do at the time. He had to get up, he had to help Maggie. His limbs protested, no doubt bruised from Scaboir's attack, but he managed to stagger to his feet and, though his stance wobbled, Charlie made it to the staircase. He looked down and almost reeled back in horror.

Maggie lay at the bottom of the staircase, spread-eagled on her side with her limbs bent awkwardly. Blood pooled around her head, thick and a sickening shade of red, and her skin was deathly pale. The sight of her, hurt and broken, spurred Charlie into action. He staggered down the staircase, clutching his aching side where Scaboir had struck him, and practically threw himself at Maggie's side.

Up close, Maggie seemed even worse. A patch of red had bloomed in her hair and Charlie had no doubt that she had injured her head when she fell, in addition to whatever sick curse Scaboir had used. Her face looked surprisingly peaceful, despite the specks of blood that decorated her forehead. Maggie looked as though she was almost asleep, and if it wasn't for the blood, Charlie would have thought she'd been taking a nap.

"Maggie? Maggie, wake up," said Charlie as he gently shook her tiny frame. Her head was almost resting on his lap, like she was peacefully asleep, and at any other moment, he would have savoured the moment. "Come on, Maggie, speak to me!"

His hand moved towards his school robes and he teared a stretch of fabric off before pressing it to Maggie's head, trying to stop the bleeding. Charlie round frantically, hoping that someone would appear. Tears threatened to fall from his eyes and he felt so useless – he didn't know what to do!

"Help!" He yelled, hoping that someone would hear him. "Somebody, please help!" His voice cracked, no doubt from panic and frustration.

"What's all this?"

Charlie looked up and saw one of the portraits staring down at him. It took Charlie a minute to realise who it was; Evangeline Orpington, Minster of Magic in the 19th Century. Charlie could barely recall seeing her portrait around Hogwarts but at that moment, she was a godsend.

"Please, get help!" Charlie cried frantically. "Get Professor Dumbledore, my friend's hurt!"

Ms Orpington's eyes widened when she looked down at Maggie's crumpled figure and she let out a deep gasp.

"Poor dear!" She exclaimed before looking down at Charlie. "I'll go straight to Dumbledore!"

She disappeared in a haze of paint, leaving Charlie alone once more. The wizard could only hope that Ms Orpington would be quick; looking down at Maggie, Charlie noticed the pool of blood had grew, despite his efforts to stop the bleeding. He clutched Maggie's body tightly, rubbing her back in soothing circles as he tried to make her as comfortable as possible, all the while, cursing Scaboir.

It seemed like hours till help appeared, but rationally Charlie knew it had only been a few minutes at most. It had just felt like hours to Charlie, being left alone with his thoughts. The sound of footsteps drew Charlie's attention and he swiftly looked up, his eyes wide and desperate. Professor Dumbledore was the first to appear, like an oasis in the desert, come to save the pair, closely followed by Professors McGonagall and Sprout.

Professor McGonagall gave a small cry of fright when her eyes landed on the fallen Maggie, laid across Charlie's lap. Professor Sprout turned nearly as pale as Maggie as her eyes darted from Charlie to Maggie and finally to the pool of blood. Charlie did not know what they were thinking; whether they thought he had caused this or not, at that moment, he did not care. Instead, he looked up at Professor Dumbledore, who appeared calm, though alert.

"Help her," Charlie choked out a whisper, his voice broken. "Please."

Professor Dumbledore gave a small nod and with a flick of his wand, a stretcher appeared. He carefully levitated Maggie into the air and onto the stretcher, though Charlie could still feel her fragile frame pressed against him.

"Pomona, please take Miss Ainsworth to the Hospital Wing," Professor Dumbledore said calmly, nodding towards the Herbology teacher. "Time is of the essence and Poppy will be expecting you."

Professor Sprout nodded, and after casting Charlie one last look, hurried away, the stretcher levitating behind her. Charlie felt the air leave his lungs as he let out a breath he did not realise he'd be holding. He watched the shadow of the stretcher, Maggie barely visible disappear, and Charlie knew he'd done the right thing.

"What, in the name of Godric, happened here, Mister Weasley?!"

Charlie couldn't help but wince at Professor McGonagall's scathing tone. He turned to see his Head of House glaring down at him, her cheeks red with anger, and Charlie's stomach dropped.

"Please, Professor, it wasn't me, I swear!" Charlie cried, his tone desperate. He turned to face Professor Dumbledore, who he knew would listen to him and make sure that Scaboir was punished for his actions. "It's was Scaboir, we found him out after curfew! Maggie said something that made him really mad and when she turned her back on him, he punched me and then hexed her!"

Professor McGonagall made an almost choking sound, clutching her chest. Her gaze turned to Professor Dumbledore, who appeared calm, despite the chaos around him. He stared at Charlie, who shifted uncomfortably under his gaze.

"You are certain that it was Mr Scaboir, from Slytherin house?" He asked slowly.

Charlie gave a desperate nod, "Please sir, I wouldn't make this up," Charlie pleaded, as though his life, or in this case Maggie's, depended on it. "He used some sort of curse on her, it was purple, like fire. It sent her flying backwards, she fell down the stairs and..."

He trailed off, looking at the ground in defeat.

"Minerva, please escort Mister Weasley to the Hospital Wing, I think he is in need of a Calming Draught," Professor Dumbledore turned to face Professor McGonagall, his expression serious. "I will speak with Severus about Mr Scaboir's behaviour. I'm sure Miss Ainsworth will tell us her perspective when she wakes."

"Is Maggie going to be alright?" Under any other circumstances, Charlie would have cursed at how childlike and pitiful he sounded, but he did not care. His tone was quiet, almost scared to ask what would happen.

Professor Dumbledore did not reply, making Charlie's heart sink. Professor McGonagall was quick to usher Charlie away, escorting him to the Hospital Wing in complete silence. Charlie was thankful for the silence; it gave him time to think and mull over the recent events and allowed his emotions to rise into pent up anger, furious at Scaboir and what he had done. The silence also allowed him to plan; if Professor Dumbledore and the teachers couldn't do anything to punish Scaboir, Charlie sure as hell would.

"Mister Weasley," Professor McGonagall's voice snapped Charlie's attention back into reality and Charlie looked over to see the Transfiguration professor looking at him with a sombre expression. "I must apologise for my initial reaction; I was quick to jump to conclusions, especially considering Miss Ainsworth's state."

Charlie tried not the shudder as the image of a bloodied and broken Maggie flashed before his eyes. He managed a small smile, before looking back at the professor, shrugging his shoulder's gentle as he did.

"I understand, Professor," Charlie said quietly. "It wasn't a pleasant sight."

Professor McGonagall gave a small nod before directing Charlie into the Hospital Wing and towards the nearest bed. Charlie looked further down the room and saw the tell-tale signs of white curtains, circling a hospital bed. He gulped, knowing full well that Maggie was on the other side of those curtains. Despite his strong façade, tears slowly pricked at his eyes at the thought of Maggie's unconscious figure.

"Charlie, what the hell happened?" Bill's voice came as a surprise.

Charlie turned his head away from the canvas cubicle to see his older brother rushing towards him. Bill's expression was one of pure terror; Charlie had never seen his older brother look so scared. Somehow, that made Charlie feel even worse, guilty almost for causing his brother so much fright. Bill's gaze darted from Charlie to Professor McGonagall, and Charlie noticed how uncomfortable his older brother seemed, almost nervous to ask what had happened.

"Are you alright?" asked Bill, his tone slightly calmer, having carefully studied Charlie's appearance and realising there was nothing seriously wrong with him.

Surprisingly, Professor McGonagall answered for him, "Your brother has had a bit of a shock. I think it would be best if you stayed with him for now while I fetch him a Calming Draught then escort him back to your common room, Mister Weasley."

Professor McGonagall quickly left in search of the potion, her robes swishing behind her. As soon as the professor was out of earshot, Bill grabbed his brother's shoulder.

"What happened, Charlie?" He asked, his tone panicked.

Charlie gave a deep sigh, "Scaboir," He said simply, his voice full of anger. "I got off lightly, he only punched me a few times, but he used some intense hex on Ainsworth which made her fall down the stairs. I-I think she hit her head when she landed...Merlin, Bill, there was so much blood..."

"I can see that," said Bill quietly, gesturing towards his brother's school robes.

It was the first time Charlie had noticed, but when the wizard looked down, he was somehow surprised at how filthy his robes were. Despite the darkness of his robes, patches of blood were still visible, and a large rip decorated the front. Charlie couldn't even sigh; he didn't care, he needed something to try and stop the bleeding and his school robes were the only thing handy at the time.

"Yeah, I tried to stop the bleeding...Not that it did much good..." Charlie trailed off, his voice barely more than a whisper.

"You did good, kid," Bill said, nudging Charlie's shoulder gently. "She's going to be okay, though she may hex you when she wakes up."

Charlie nodded, only partially listening. Despite the optimism, he knew that Bill was only saying those things to cheer him up. His words did little to calm his nerves; Bill hadn't seen the state Maggie had been in. Bill hadn't been there, he hadn't seen how terrifying Scaboir had been, comparable to a full-fledged Dark Wizard with his eyes set on Maggie. Bill didn't have a crush on the girl that was unconscious and bloody, only a few feet away.

His older brother knew the last part; it was one of Charlie's most well-kept secrets but even he could not hide it from his older brother. That was why Bill arranged for Charlie and Maggie to be paired together for their prefect rounds, in hopes that it would push the two together.

_Look how that turned out_, Charlie thought bitterly. That was probably the worst part of it all; he hadn't been able to save Maggie when she needed his help most.

Given the choice, Charlie would rather have Maggie wake up and hex him into oblivion rather than not having Maggie wake up at all.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's note \- Happy Friday! Hope you all enjoyed the last chapter, I loved writing it! This one is definitely more light-hearted and is a turning point in the Maggie/Charlie relationship drama (at least, from Maggie's perspective).**

**Don't forget to like and review if you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

_The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is an attribute of the strong._

**_\- Mahatma Gandhi_**

* * *

_March 1989_

Light clouded Maggie's vision.

The intenseness burnt her eyes – why did it hurt? Through the light, Maggie could vaguely see a dark, distant blur which danced in and out of vision. Voices swam through her head, but Maggie knew they weren't her own; at least, most of them weren't. The words were muddled and vague, like a television set with the volume set low, too quiet for Maggie to comprehend. She felt as though she was floating; weightless, lighter than air, floating up, up, up, above the fog. With not a care in the world as she flew.

But then, the pain started.

It was unnoticeable at first. What started off as an ache in her head – that blasted ache that seemed to haunt her – soon grew into a throbbing pain, coursing throughout her body until it felt like her body was on fire, screaming in pain.

But Maggie couldn't scream.

That was when she began to fall. Her limbs grew heavy, such a weight that they pulled Maggie back down to the ground. She was a pebble in a pond, crashing through the water's surface and slowly sinking down towards the riverbed. Maggie could not move; there was no way to escape the fall. Once again, voices echoed through her mind, the words still incoherent. Brightness danced through her vision once more, though this time, her vision became more focused, the fog slowly clearing.

Her eyelids were still heavy, but Maggie fought to open them; she did not want to fall again. She pushed away the pain and the numbness that followed, pulling herself out of the dark chasm she had fell. Her sight became even clearer, able to focus on her surroundings. The world seemed to melt into place around her, and Maggie blinked slowly, eventually recognising the Hospital Wing around her.

Though why she was there, Maggie did not know. She slowly tried to push herself into a sitting position but found that her arms were shaky, and she did not have the strength. A hand appeared from nowhere, gently pushing Maggie back down.

"Easy there, dear, you don't want to make yourself any worse," Maggie frowned, looking up to see Madam Pomfrey's face swimming into vision. "You've had a nasty shock, you need to rest."

"Perhaps I may speak with Miss Ainsworth first, Poppy?"

Another voice, this time from the other side, and much to Maggie's surprise, she saw Professor Dumbledore sat beside her, a book perched on his lap. Maggie's eyes widened when she realised it was her book, _Charlie and the Chocolate Factory_, that usually sat on her bedside table in her dormitory. She frowned; how had it come into Professor Dumbledore's possession?

Madam Pomfrey did not look pleased by the idea but didn't argue with the Headmaster. After giving Maggie a quick check, muttering a few things to herself, the Matron left, leaving Maggie alone with Dumbledore.

"I must say, it is good to see you awake, Miss Ainsworth," Professor Dumbledore said gently, drawing Maggie's attention. "You are doing a great deal better than you were."

"I am?" Maggie asked, slowly easing herself into a sitting position, her numbness fading. "What happened?"

"I was hoping you could tell me, Miss Ainsworth," said Dumbledore, his voice quiet and curious. Maggie looked up to see his eyes twinkling with concern.

"I... I remember being in the library," Maggie said slowly. "Wait, no. I was doing my prefect rounds with Weasley. We were talking...and then...and then Scaboir appeared!" Maggie exclaimed, her the haze of her mind slowly fading. Her memories seemed clear now, more defined almost and they slowly came back to Maggie. "Scaboir... I said something to him...he got so mad. And then...then I remember going towards the staircase to leave, and there was this flash of purple light and my whole body burned..."

Maggie trailed off, her mind fogging once more. She looked over at Professor Dumbledore, only to see his grim expression.

"What it is?" asked Maggie nervously. Her tummy began to spin at the sight of the usually tranquil Professor's eyes darkening.

"It would seem, Miss Ainsworth, that Mr Scaboir attempted to hex you while your back was turned," Maggie was silent as she stared at the Headmaster in shock. "He was somewhat successful in his attempt as the hex he used struck your arm, causing you to fall down the stairs and seriously injure your head. If it wasn't for Mr Weasley, I dread to think what could have happened, and I am certain that you would not be speaking with me now."

"Wait, Weasley saved me?" Maggie asked incredulously. She was shocked beyond words at even the thought of Weasley saving her life – she could barely stand the boy until a few hours ago!

Professor Dumbledore nodded, a small smile appearing on his lips. His eyes were twinkling with emotion, but what laid behind, Maggie did not know. It was difficult to guess what Dumbledore was thinking; his features gave very little away apart from the deep glimmer of thought in his eyes but there was something else there.

"It would appear, that after your _disagreement-_," Maggie's lip curled in disgust at the word. "-With Mr Scaboir, Mr Weasley remained with you until help arrived," He paused, his expression kind as his eyes seemed to study Maggie's reaction. "He was quite concerned about your condition and very reluctant to leave your side. If it hadn't been for Professor McGonagall's intervention, I have no doubt that he would still be here, alongside Miss Tonks and your fellow Hufflepuffs."

Despite everything, Maggie felt her cheeks blushing red, mainly from embarrassment. What in Merlin's name had happened? After Dumbledore's words, Maggie was positive that she was still dreaming; it couldn't be possible! _I'm going mad, _her thoughts drifted throughout her mind as she tried to process everything. _I'm hallucinating, my mind's finally gone bananas and dreamed up this whole world where Professor Dumbledore is sat beside me reading my book and where Charlie Weasley is concerned for my wellbeing!_

What happened next, however, even Maggie's mind couldn't imagine.

"Maggie?"

The young witch looked up, shocked at the voice that had spoken. Her mouth parted slightly in disbelief and her hands squeezed the bedsheets that swaddled her, in a desperate attempt to hold on to the dream.

"Dad?" Maggie's voice was quiet and brittle, her words barely above a whisper.

Maggie dared not blink, in case the apparition in front of her disappeared. She knew she was dreaming – she had to be, how else could her father, a muggle, be stood at the foot of her hospital bed in Hogwarts? But there were a few tell-tale signs that betrayed the dream. Her father's hair was longer than it had been at Christmas, though still the same shade of warm blonde that mirrored Maggie's. His clothes were better kept, as though he'd put extra effort in while getting dressed, something Maggie's father rarely did as he found worn jeans and old jumpers more comfortable. He appeared more haggard than usual; tiredness lined his face, but it was different to the usual fatigue Maggie usually saw. His exhausted expression did not match the typical dog-tired look her father wore after working twelve-hour shifts at the pub.

It was his eyes that gave the dream away though.

The perturbed look in her father's eyes gave it all away. There had only been one other time Maggie had seen her father like this – a dark time Maggie hated thinking off – but the young witch recognised the fearful, distraught look in her father's eyes. That feeling betrayed the dream as Maggie knew there had only ever been one time her father appeared to her like that, and not even her worst nightmares could match that countenance.

"Dad?" Maggie repeated the words, still not quite believing what she saw.

In an instant, her father was next to her, his arms engulfing Maggie into the tightest hug she'd ever experienced. Automatically, her head moved to rest under her father's chin, as she took in the familiar scent that reminded Maggie of home. Safe in her father's arms, Maggie felt the walls surrounding her tumble down and her eyes quickly filled with tears.

"It's okay, Mags, I'm here," Her father's voice quivered slightly as he held her tight.

"Dad," Maggie choked out a sob, unable to help the tears that flowed down her face. "Dad!"

The pair stayed locked in their comforting embrace until Maggie's tears slowly faded. By this point, William had positioned himself alongside Maggie on her hospital bed and despite Maggie's age, she curled herself up beside her father, comforted by his presence.

"I was so worried about you," murmured William, his arm still wrapped around Maggie's shoulder. "When I got the owl, I was terrified that you were badly hurt."

"I'm okay, Daddy," Maggie whispered, her voice hoarse from her tears. It was then that something clicked in her mind, and she pulled away from her father's warm embrace and looked up at him in confusion. "What are you doing here, Dad?"

"I think I would be best suited to explain that, Miss Ainsworth."

Maggie had forgotten Professor Dumbledore's presence, too engrossed in her reunion with her father. She turned to look at the Headmaster, confusion stretched across her features. Her cheeks reddened slightly as she realised that Dumbledore had witnessed the entire reunion with her father, including the part where Maggie had channelled her inner child and thrown herself into her father's arms. Dumbledore appeared unperplexed by the event however, his expression remaining calm and amicable.

"When it became apparent just how serious your injuries were," Professor Dumbledore began slowly, his eyes fixed on Maggie. "We thought it best to contact your father. Hence, the owl," The Headmaster offered a quick nod towards William. "It is school policy to inform the parents when students are injured, as your father found out twice this week."

Maggie blushed once more, her thoughts drifting back to her earlier trip to the Hospital Wing, post Quidditch match. Beside her, Maggie noticed her father's uncomfortable expression, and she knew that her Quidditch injuries were yet to be discussed, despite Maggie having sent a letter to her father, explaining that she was fine. While neither had been her fault – not entirely, that was – Maggie knew her father would still wish to discuss both matters.

"However, despite Madam Pomfrey's best attempts, we found that you remained unconscious, Miss Ainsworth," Professor Dumbledore continued with a sober tone in his voice, making Maggie shift uncomfortably. "This was mostly due to not knowing what spell Mr Scaboir had used; despite Mr Weasley's best attempts to explain the incident, we were none the wiser to the incantation used on you.

"That was when, Professors McGonagall, Sprout and myself decided it best to contact your father directly. As your Head of House, we thought it best for Professor Sprout to visit your father, and after that, it was a simple matter of connecting your home to the Floo Network, in order to get your father here."

"But, excuse me Professor Dumbledore, I thought muggles weren't allowed in Hogwarts," Maggie said slowly, shooting her father an apologetic look.

Professor Dumbledore's eyes twinkled with mischief, "As a general rule, they are not, but I viewed this as exceptional circumstances," He replied simply with a smile. "After all, parents want to be at their child's side during moments like this."

"What about the boy that attacked her?" William spoke up. Maggie caught a glimpse of his gaze and nearly shuddered at the anger it held, and the deep-seated worry underneath the rage.

"It has been discussed amongst the staff, and while some -" Professor Dumbledore emphasised the word, almost with anger. "-Professors were against the idea, it has been agreed that Mr Scaboir is to leave Hogwarts, and his father has agreed to transfer him to Durmstrang."

As Dumbledore uttered the final words, it felt as though all the air was drawn from Maggie's lungs, making her stop for a moment. She blinked, as the words slowly sunk in, despite Maggie not quite believing what she had heard. Dumbledore must have noticed her confusion as he offered her a kind smile.

"Hogwarts takes the safety of its students very seriously, Miss Ainsworth. Therefore, I cannot in good knowledge allow a pupil to remain on school grounds after publicly attacking another student in such a vicious way. It would also appear, that young Mr Scaboir is also guilty of threatening other pupils in the school. Although," Professor Dumbledore paused, looking at William and Maggie with remorse. "I must apologise that it was you, Miss Ainsworth, who had to experience his heinous conduct."

Maggie found herself stunned but somehow managed to offer Dumbledore an understanding nod. After speaking a few words to her father, most of which, Maggie ignored, the Headmaster left, his robes billowing behind him as he swept out of the Hospital Wing. Maggie and her father were silent for a moment. Despite her amazement that her father was here, at Hogwarts, Maggie found herself at a loss for words, though deep down she knew it was because she dreaded what her father would say next.

"I'll kill the git for what he did to you," Her father's tone was dangerously low, and Maggie was spooked at how cruel her father sounded.

Maggie sighed, "Daddy, you don't have to do anything. Dumbledore sorted it. Scaboir's basically been expelled, remember?"

"Darling, he hurt you," William said slowly, looking down at his daughter. Maggie could practically see the cogs turning behind his eyes, the paternal overprotectiveness slowly taking over his expression. "He hurt you in such a way, that the Matron didn't know if you would ever wake up," Maggie pulled a pained face at the thought. "You were unconscious for nearly a week, we didn't know what was wrong with you. What's more, is that he got away lightly with it."

"He's not here though, Dad," Maggie said calmly, wrapping her arms around her father's middle and pressing her head to his shoulder. "He can't hurt me again if he's not here."

"I just want you to be safe, Mags," said William, the hurt evident in his voice. "I've always tried to protect you, but I can't when you're here. And there are so many dangers here, the past few weeks have shown that!"

"But you can't do magic, Daddy," It pained Maggie to say the words, but she knew she had to push her point. "I can. What's more, is I've got friends here, friends that will protect me when you can't. Just like I'd protect them. I'm safe here, Daddy, I promise."

William sighed, planting a kiss atop of Maggie's head. "I'm always going to worry about you, no matter where you are and who you've got around you," He paused for a moment, contemplating his words. "But you're right, you are safe here. Professor Sprout assured me that much. And you have friends here, friends that will look out for you when I'm not around. Hell, look at that lad who saved you after the attack."

Despite her earlier sentiment, Maggie could not hold back the wince that emerged at the thought of Charlie Weasley. If anything, him saving her skin worsened their situation; now she was indebted to him! Even after seeing through his smug exterior, Maggie knew that Weasley would never let this incident, nor the fact that he had essentially saved her life, go. Yet another thing to add to the list of 'Things Weasley did to annoy her', though Maggie vowed to try her hardest and move past that.

The word _try_ being the key part.

The next few hours saw a steady trickle of people coming to visit Maggie. Her father remained by her side throughout, and Maggie felt secretly pleased by the prospect of introducing her school friends to her father. Tonks was the first to appear (of course), throwing herself at Maggie with such force, the blonde witch nearly tumbled out of bed.

Tonks looked even worse than how she looked during Maggie's previous stint in the Hospital Wing; her hair dull and coloured the natural mousey brown that Maggie rarely saw, her face was paler than usual, with heavy bags underneath her sombre eyes, signalling her friend's lack of sleep. She nearly burst into tears at the sight of Maggie but managed to compose herself after a lot of reassurance from both Maggie and her father, though the young witch sniffed back a few tears every so often.

The rest of her friends were quick to appear; Louisa, Kevin, Eddie, Adam, as well as most of the Quidditch team, including a sheepish looking Murphy, who offered Maggie an apologetic smile. Maggie blushed as they placed get-well cards and small gifts by the foot of her bed, though she bashfully tried to hand a lot of them back.

"You can't give them back, Maggie, no matter how self-effacing you are," Adam said, as he placed a neatly wrapped package on Maggie's lap. "Besides, these are from half of Hufflepuff; we can't exactly try and track down who sent what!"

"All I'll say, is that you've used up all of your Hospital gifts from me," said Eddie casually, as he reached for a chocolate frog from the pile Adam had set down earlier. "Next time you land yourself here, you're getting bugger all," He said with a laugh.

Madam Pomfrey quickly appeared when the noise level in the room skyrocketed. When her eyes landed upon the dozen Hufflepuffs crowded round Maggie's bed, she gave a small screech, before ushering people out.

"Time and time again, I've said it!" She exclaimed as people slowly left. "Three visitors maximum, how can anyone expect to recover with this number of visitors? You need bed rest, not chatter and carnage!"

The Matron knew better than to shoo away Tonks though. The metamorphmagus perched herself upon Maggie's bed, slowly edging her way across until she was fully sat at the foot of Maggie's bed, a wide smile stretched across her lips. Madam Pomfrey shot her a haughty look before ushering some stragglers out of the Wing.

Amongst the chaos, Maggie's father had taken the opportunity to go and find a cup of tea, heading towards the Matron's office with a determined, albeit nervous expression. Besides from Tonks, Louisa was the last to leave, saying that she had made plans to meet up with Newberry. She pulled Maggie into a tight hug, whispering into her ear that Joe McFarlan had sent the bunch of tulips and that he had been constantly asking how Maggie was. A large smile stretched across Maggie's lips when she heard this, and the blonde witch turned to Tonks excitedly once they were alone.

"Joe McFarlan sent me flowers!" She exclaimed happily.

Tonks rolled her eyes, "Well of course he would. He fancies you, you idiot! He showed up here not long after you were brought in – he was really worried."

Maggie gave a content sigh, her fingers brushing over the flowers. Her eyes wandered to the vase behind the tulips and picked them up with a frown.

"Who sent me these?" She asked curiously, carefully tracing the delicate pattern of the petals. The simple bunch of gardenia was tied together roughly with a piece of brown twine, keeping the small collection of flowers in place.

Tonks frowned, "I don't know. The sunflowers were from me – obviously. Your Dad brought the magnolias, I found that hilarious, by the way," She smirked, sending Maggie a wink. "Let's see, the tulips are from Joe; Louisa pitched in with Kev, Eddie and Adam to get you the carnations and everyone else chipped in to get you the lilies. I'm not sure who got you the gardenias, but they are really pretty; someone clearly went out of their way to get you them."

Maggie gave an absent-minded nod, her gaze still fixed on the gardenias in front of her. She frowned as she ran her fingers over the petals once more – who could have sent them? Whoever did had carefully chosen them, as unlike a few of the other flower arrangements, the gardenias showed no signs of wilting; the white petals were still bright and full of life.

The not-so-subtle sound of someone coughing drew Maggie's attention away from the small posy in front of her. Both Maggie and Tonks looked up to see a figure stood by the foot of the hospital bed, shifting uncomfortably from one foot to another. Maggie couldn't help the frown that graced her features and her eyebrows raised in surprise at the sight of Charlie Weasley.

"Umm- Hey Maggie, how are you feeling?" He asked nervously, his eyes darting from Maggie to Tonks, almost in a guarded fashion.

Maggie could not help but noticed how pale Weasley was, his freckles stood out against the pasty hue of his usually tanned skin. Like Tonks, he looked ill with worry, something that made the heat return to Maggie's cheeks and flow throughout her body. Her tummy did cartwheels at the thought of Weasley worrying about her welfare – she was that used to being mortal enemies (or close to) with the boy that the thought was downright awkward.

"Better, I guess," Maggie replied slowly as she carefully thought out her next words. "I mean, I'm a bit lightheaded, but I suppose that's to be expected."

"Yeah, that's what happens when you go head to head with a staircase, Titch," Tonks playfully added, the usual twinkle slowly returning to her eye.

Charlie gave an awkward laugh, though he quickly covered it with a cough. The colour was slowly returning to his expression, his cheeks tinged red. He roughly shoved his hands into his robe-pockets, a small smile stretching across his lips that managed to break his edgy expression.

"I'm glad you're feeling better," Despite his expression, his voice was still strained as his gaze continued to dart around the room, avoiding Maggie's eye. "After what happened...I wasn't sure?"

"Yeah," said Maggie softly, her voice quiet. "I-I wanted to thank you, you know, for everything...I really owe you one for defending me and helping me after what Scaboir did..." Maggie trailed off into silence as images flashed through her head and she fought back a shudder of pain.

Charlie gave a small shrug, in an attempt to brush away Maggie's words. "It was nothing, I just did what anyone else would have done," His words were quiet, his tone bashful yet penitent in the same moment. His expression was almost hangdog as his eyes drooped to the floor.

Maggie's expression morphed into a soft frown as her eyes narrowed in confusion, staring at the red-headed Gryffindor in front of her.

"No, seriously Weasley, thank you," Maggie pressed, emphasising her words. A few weeks ago, it would have pained her to say it, but Maggie was truly grateful for Weasley and his actions. "I mean it, if you hadn't of been there..."

From the corner of her eye, Maggie saw Tonks shudder, her eyes turning glassy as the witch fought back tears. Even Maggie felt like bursting into tears; the whole idea of Weasley not being there and helping Maggie filled her with dread, as deep down, Maggie knew she was sat in the Hospital Wing because of him.

He had essentially saved her life.

"And who might this be?"

Her father's voice cut through the tense atmosphere, bringing about a warmer, more calm air in the conversation. The three Hogwarts students looked up to see William stood by the white partition screen, a cup of tea in hand, as he curiously looked at Weasley. His gaze drifted over to Maggie and soften, as though he already knew the answer to his question.

Maggie quickly coughed, trying to clear away the nerves from her voice. "Dad, this is Charlie Weasley, he's in my year at school. He's the one who helped me, you know, after the thing..."

"He's also the one who knocked Maggie off a broomstick last week, but I think we're letting that one go," Tonks said cheerfully with a mischievous smile. "We're just letting bowtruckles be bowtruckles here though, all things considered."

Maggie almost winced at how quickly her father's expression changed with Tonks' words, going from calm and friendly, to one that even Maggie didn't recognise. She hoped her father held on to the latter part of Tonks's words, ignoring the Quidditch incident in favour of Weasley's lionhearted actions. Her father however, remained silent, his eyes carefully studying Weasley's expression. The Gryffindor, despite having faced Scaboir head-to-head, appeared intimidated by the older man, despite his non-magical status.

Paternal protective instinct at its finest.

William was silent for another moment, his eyes deep in thought as he stared at Weasley, who appeared more panicked as time passed. Eventually, William broke the silence with his quiet words.

"You saved my daughter," He stated, his tone matter-of-factly. Weasley could only blink as William continued, "You helped her after what that monster did to her -"

"I didn't know he would attack her like that; I swear Sir, if I did, I would have hexed him or grabbed his wand -"

Had the situation not been quiet as tense, Maggie would have laughed at Weasley's almost incoherent babbles. The Gryffindor jabbered on, seemingly terrified of William's reaction to his daughter being injured. Tonks shot Maggie an amused look and Maggie bit back a giggle; despite Weasley's fear, Maggie knew her father was not made, she could see it in his eye.

William held up a hand, pausing Weasley's babble, "Lad, I'm not mad at you," He said slowly and Weasley's fearful expression slowly faded. "I'm mad at the animal who landed my daughter in the hospital; I'm even more mad at the fact that I can't even teach him why messing with my daughter is a bad idea -"

"Dad!" cried Maggie, glaring at her father. "Remember what I said?"

"Yes, yes, the git's gone now, but the point still remains," said William, turning back towards Weasley, his expression turning serious once more. "You saved her," He stated, looking Weasley directly in the eye. "You saved my little girl when I couldn't. I know you've had your differences in the past -" Maggie's cheeks burnt red at her father's words. "But you looked past that and helped her."

To the three Hogwarts students' amazement, William held out his hand, the highest mark of respect he could give at that moment. Maggie's cheeks continued to flush; for a man who couldn't perform magic, who was currently surrounded by all things mystical, this was the pinnacle of William Ainsworth's veneration.

Still in shock from the older man's words, Weasley slowly took William's hand, accepting the handshake wholeheartedly. From her spot on the hospital bed, Maggie blinked slowly, amazed by the idea that the boy she had despised entirely for the past five years had just earnt her father's approval.

She was never going to live this down.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's note \- You know the drill. It's Friday which means another lovely chapter, this time containing some ups and downs, and plenty of Weasleys too! For anyone who thought Maggie would get on well with Fred and George, this is the chapter for you! For the record, I hope Maggie's OWLs results sit happily with everyone. I didn't want her to be the best at everything, but I wanted to portray my point that she is a hard worker.**

**Don't forget to like and review if you enjoy this chapter!**

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_My advice is, never do tomorrow what you can do today. Procrastination is the thief of time._

_\- **Charles Dickens, David Copperfield**_

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_August 1989_

"Are you sure you're doing it right? What do the instructions say again?"

"Of course, I've done it right - stop worrying! This was your idea, after all!"

Maggie rolled her eyes as Louisa turned off the showerhead before grabbing a nearby towel and throwing it over Maggie's hair. The witch fought back a wince as Lousia roughly dried her hair, pulling her hair until most of the water had dripped out.

"Ouch," Maggie groaned in complaint after Louisa gestured for her to stand. "You and that towel are a lethal combination, you know that?"

Lousia rolled her eyes, "Pain is beauty, Maggie," She said bluntly as the two walked into the witch's bedroom. "Every woman knows that."

Tonks was stretched across Louisa's bed, _Quidditch Throughout the Ages_ rested in front of her as witch lazily flicked through the book. She looked up at the sound of Maggie and Louisa entering the room and a grin stretched across her lips. Maggie made a beeline for the bed, flopping down next to Tonks with a fed-up expression.

"Remind me, never get on Louisa's bad side, she could give Dark Wizards a run for their money with her determination," said Maggie, closing her eyes as she laid on the bed, happy for a few moments' peace.

Tonks sniggered, "You knew what you were getting yourself in for, I tried to warn you, but you wouldn't listen!"

Maggie rolled her eyes and gave a pitiful moan before burying herself under a blanket. She heard Tonks' laughter, closely followed by Louisa's voice. Under the blanket, she could just make out Louisa's figure, her shadow standing over her and Maggie could already imagine the witch's expression.

"This was your choice, remember Maggie?" Lousia said firmly. Maggie inched the blanket lower so that only her eyes were visibly and caught a glimpse of Louisa's 'no-prisoners taken' expression, which combined with her hands planted firmly on her hips, meant trouble for Maggie.

"I didn't think it would be this bad!" Maggie cried, her head ducking under the blanket once more. "I already have a boyfriend, what's the use in all this primping!"

Louisa's shocked cry was enough to know Maggie had horrified the girl. She smirked at the thought, but it was short-lived as she felt hands grab her arms, hauling her out of her hideaway and forcing her towards the dressing-table.

"Just because you and MacFarlan are all lovey-dovey, doesn't mean you can't still look your best!" Louisa cried, shooting Maggie a glare. "You might think differently, but boys still like it when girls look their best, not like vagrants!" Her hand gestured towards Maggie's attire, which consisted of an old _Blondie_ shirt, worn denim shorts and her ratty converse high-tops.

Maggie scowled as Louisa raked a hairbrush through her slowly drying-hair. Tonks went back to reading her book, leaving Maggie to her own devices, as Louisa did not like to be interrupted while 'working on perfection', as she quoted earlier when Maggie had asked when their OWL results were due to arrive. As Maggie's eyes flickered around the room in an attempt to find some form of entertaining herself, her thoughts slowly flickered to her new-found relationship.

In truth, despite her friends' advice and words of encouragement, Maggie had still been somewhat surprised when Joe MacFarlan asked her to Hogsmeade. After everything that had happened in March – which still brought about the occasional shudder – Maggie had almost forgotten about her conversation with Joe, being too focused on getting better and studying for her OWLs. When Joe had approached her in April, during a small bout of peace and quiet caused by the Easter holidays, and asked Maggie if she would like to go to Hogsmeade with him, Maggie could barely form the words to agree to his invitation.

If it hadn't of been for Tonks nudging Maggie back into reality, the witch would have still stood there, absorbed in her babble.

The first date had gone well, though Maggie was reluctant to call it a date. The pair went to Honeydukes first; buying a selection of sweets and treats that they snacked on for the rest of the day. Maggie did not admit this to him, but she was slightly disappointed when Joe confessed he wasn't a big fan of chocolate.

"I mean, I'll eat it, but I'd rather have some Jelly Slugs or a Sugar Quill," Joe had explained with a causal shoulder shrug as he pointed Maggie towards the sweet-section.

"What about chocolate cake?" Maggie asked, her tone almost hopeful.

Joe gave another shrug, "I prefer fruit cake."

Maggie tried not to be disappointed – really, did it matter that he preferred sweets over chocolate? It wasn't a deal-breaker, and the rest of the date had gone so well. After Honeydukes, they'd gone to the Three Broomsticks, where they sat for hours, chatting about all sorts, from Quidditch to the impending OWLs, until it had slowly turned dark and they were due back at school. Maggie's heart seemed to beat even faster when Joe's hand snaked around hers as the pair walked back to the castle.

He had not kissed her that night, only a small peck on the cheek, but the next date they went on, he did. Granted, it was just a study date in the library, and both Maggie and Joe had been up to their eyeballs in homework, but it had still been romantic, like something out of a film. As his head inched towards Maggie's, the witch could practically hear the song _Take My Breath Away _ringing through her ears as his lips brushed against hers.

She had always dreamed of a moment like that. Albeit, the _Take My Breath Away_ playing in her head was a more recent edition, but Maggie knew she wanted a moment like that. When the film had been released, she'd went to see it with Tonks ("Wait, you can see those pictures on a big screen? How do they make it so big?! Do they use an enlargement charm?") and while the film had been enjoyable, Maggie had fallen for the soundtrack, namely the _Berlin_ song. The more she listened to it, Maggie imagined it playing over every famous love scene she had ever watched and pictured the song playing when that moment happened to her.

"Holy Helga, Maggie, I forgot how thick your hair is."

Louisa's voice snapped Maggie out of her thoughts. She looked at her fellow witch's expression in the mirror and saw the determined expression in Louisa's eye, as she brandished a hairbrush in one hand, and a bottle of Sleekeazy's Hair Potion in the other. Maggie fought back a shudder at the thought of what would come next.

Fifteen minutes and a lot of hair-pulling later, Maggie looked in shock at the mirror. Slow and almost tentatively, her hand reached up to touch the now brown tresses as she continued to look in wonder. Despite her earlier worries, it was exactly how Maggie wanted it; Louisa had done an amazing job of combining the muggle hair-dye with the colour-changing potion Tonks had brewed, to create the exact shade Maggie had wanted.

_The same colour as Mum_, Maggie thought with a sad smile.

Behind her, Louisa and Tonks stood with wide grins. Catching Tonks' eye in the mirror's reflection, Maggie's smile slowly grew. Without warning, the now brunette witch launched from her chair and pulled her two fellow witches into a tight hug.

"Thank you!" She cried with a wide grin. "It's exactly how I wanted it!"

Louisa beamed, "That's it, I'm putting 'Miracle Worker' on all my application forms!"

The three witches laughed as they parted themselves from the group hug, Tonks picking a lock of Maggie's now brown hair and examining it curiously.

"Muggle hair dye," She mused, her eyes full of confusion. "Merlin, I'm happy I was born a Metamorphmagus; I couldn't stand all this faff! I mean, getting the potion right was hard enough, I'm just pleased it worked after everything!"

Maggie frowned, "What do you mean, 'after everything?" She asked, her tone confused. "I thought you said the potion was perfect?"

"And it was!" Tonks said, raising her hands in mock defence. "I was just a bit concerned when making it, that's all. What with the ingredients being wrong and me having to substitute the calendula for comfrey but I mean, they're not that different..."

Tonks trailed off as the expression on Maggie's face grew darker. Both witches knew Maggie was unaffected by this news – the potion had worked after all – but the pair rarely missed an opportunity to antagonise one another, albeit good-naturedly. Behind her 'dark' expression, Maggie fought to hold back a wicked smirk, but it crept to her lips as she sprung for Tonks, launching her small frame onto the taller witch's back.

Both girls shrieked as Tonks stumbled round the room, attempting to through Maggie off of her back but the little witch held tight. Louisa howled with laughter from her spot on the bed and watched the antics of the two witches with amusement.

"Lou, the Hogwarts owls are almost here...What are you two doing?"

The three witches looked up to see Albert, Louisa's twin brother, stood at the doorway, staring at Maggie and Tonks with confusion. Both girls froze in their tracks, as though startled that someone would ask that question – everyone knew the pair's usual antics.

"Isn't it obvious?" Maggie said with a cheery smile. "I'm starting my plans for world domination!"

Ten minutes later found all three witches, plus Albert, sat at the Macmillan's kitchen table with nervous anticipation. Louisa's young brother, Ernie, was the only one speaking, happily babbling away to his mother about Quidditch. All four Hogwarts students waited, the nerves slowly growing. Maggie mentally scolded herself for forgetting what day it was – she had it circled on the calendar at home!

But when Louisa had written to her, asking if Maggie and Tonks would like to stay over for a few days, Maggie's excitement had gotten the better of her, and she happily accepted the invitation, throwing caution to the wind and forgetting all about the dreaded date. The excitement had grown at the prospect of dying her hair, until all thought of the OWL result day was a forgotten memory.

"Here we go," Albert muttered as four owls swooped into the kitchen, perching themselves in front of the teenagers.

Maggie nervously untied the parchment strapped to the owl's leg, muttering a quick thank-you before staring down at the letter in front of her. She took a deep breath and with shaky fingers, slowly opened the envelope.

**_ORDINARY WIZARDING LEVEL RESULTS_**

_Pass Grades: Outstanding (O)_

_Exceeds Expectations (E)_

_Acceptable (A)_

_Fail Grades: Poor (P)_

_Dreadful (D)_

_Troll (T) _

**_MAGNOLIA ISADORA AINSWORTH HAS ACHIEVED_**

_Ancient Runes: E_

_Astronomy: A_

_Arithmancy: O_

_Care of Magical Creatures: O_

_Charms: O_

_Defence against the Dark Arts: E_

_Divination: D_

_Herbology: O_

_History of Magic: A_

_Potions: O_

_Transfiguration: O_

"How'd you do, Titch?" Tonks' voice snapped Maggie out of her thoughts. She turned to face her fellow witch, who was grinning like a madwoman. A small, surprised smile crept to Maggie's lips.

"Holy Helga, Nymph, I passed Astronomy!"

After exchanging letters, all four Hogwarts students relaxed in their chairs, a sudden weight having been lifted off of their shoulders. Tonks happily munched on sandwiches as she chatted to Maggie about NEWT choices; the pair were able to take potions because of their high OWL marks. Though neither girl was keen on the idea of Snape's teaching for another two years, both knew that the course was essential to their future plans.

After lunch, Maggie quickly wrote to her father, attaching her results letter and explaining what it all meant. She added that she would be back later that day, knowing full well that her father would have some sort of edible treat prepared. Giving Gatsby a treat and the letter, Maggie watched as the owl flew off. With a happy smile, Maggie skipped out of the room and back towards her friends, extremely pleased with the day.

* * *

_October 1989_

Cursing under her breath, Maggie darted down the staircase. How could she be so forgetful? She'd been that caught up with her Transfiguration work – not that anyone needed to know that part, it was her secret – Maggie had lost track of the time and was running late. It was out of character for Maggie to be late for anything; she was always punctual, if not early. But she had been that focused on her work, the concept of time and lessons completely slipped from her mind until the Clock-Tower bell's chimes met her ears.

Scrambling down the Marble Staircase, Maggie let out another curse, this one directed at the outdoor Care of Magical Creatures lesson she was supposed to be in. Of course, out of all days she could have picked to be late, it had to be a practical lesson. Though she reasoned that Professor Kettleburn would not mind her being a few minutes late, Maggie still cursed.

She had just about reached the large, wooden doors when a voice caught her attention.

"Hey, Maggie!"

The young witch's eyes narrowed in confusion as she turned to see Charlie Weasley stood in the Entrance Hall, slowly walking towards her.

"Thought I'd catch you here; Kettleburn told me to let you know, class is cancelled today. Apparently, the Occamy we were supposed to study hasn't arrived; something to do with the Ministry, I think."

"That's annoying, I was looking forward to that lesson," Maggie said, though part of her was grateful for the cancellation; this way, she wouldn't have been late to an interesting lesson.

Charlie shrugged, "Yeah, it's a shame. But Kettleburn told me that it should be sorted by next week, so here's hoping."

The conversation trailed off into uncomfortable silence, as neither one knew what to say. In truth, Maggie had tried to avoid Charlie since the incident with Scaboir earlier that year; OWLs and the summer holidays provided the prime opportunity. But since returning in September, Maggie still felt awkward around him.

They spoke in the corridors, though it was never anything more than a nod and brief hello. They often spoke in class, Care of Magical creatures in particular. They were one of the very few carrying the subject on into NEWT, and even fewer that Maggie knew, so in the months following the holidays, Maggie found herself partnering up with Charlie in class, though this was few and far between.

It didn't help that Louisa was still dating Shaun Newberry, Charlie's best friend. The couple had been dating since the previous November, much to Maggie's initial horror. While she had wanted her friend to be happy, Maggie bemoaned the fact that out of all the boys in Hogwarts, Louisa had to choose Charlie Weasley's best friend. Louisa reassured Maggie that her relationship wouldn't change anything, but it had.

The changes had been small but obvious. Simple things, like Louisa insisting that their group of Hufflepuffs sit near the Gryffindors (or more specifically, Shaun and Charlie) in lessons, or hailing them over to the Gryffindor table during lunch for a quick chat. Maggie preserved through, wanting her friend to be happy. In the beginning, it almost killed Maggie to have to be civil towards Weasley; something she swore would never happen.

But then, all the accidents happened. The Quidditch incident had been the first. Had it happened any other time – or when Louisa was not dating a Gryffindor – Maggie was sure she would have torn through Charlie for knocking her off her broom. But surprisingly, she hadn't, and it was because Maggie had thought about her friends first. Yes, Maggie had still been injured but the more rational side of her mind had stepped in and reasoned with her – what good would shouting at Charlie Weasley do?

Then came the Scaboir incident. After that, Maggie wholeheartedly avoided Weasley when she could, but there were only so many places in Hogwarts. In truth, it became harder to hate Charlie Weasley after the more time she spent with him. Louisa had managed to rope both Maggie and Tonks into a group outing to Hogsmeade, after their OWLs. And surprise, surprise, Charlie had been there. Thankfully, Tonks had been there too, so Maggie was able to avoid speaking to him, but she still caught him staring every so often.

Part of Maggie wished that things could go back to the way things were in their earlier years at Hogwarts – with Maggie actively hating Charlie and Charlie being a pain. After everything that had happened, Maggie honestly did not know how to handle him. She settled on civil, with a touch of friendliness, in the end, thinking that to be the best option.

Though since March, Maggie had slowly found out that it was much easier to hate someone than to like them.

"I've got your work here," Charlie quickly said, breaking the awkward silence as he pulled some parchment from his bag. "Should be pretty easy, it's just about knarls."

"Thanks," Maggie said, taking the work with a smile. "So, we've got a free period then? Sounds like a great opportunity to catch up on my sleep."

Charlie laughed, raking a hand through his hair. "Tempting, but I should make a start on my Potions essay; even at NEWT level, Snape is still a slave-driver.

"You really thought he would change?" Maggie said with a laugh. "Okay well, see you later?"

Charlie nodded and they both took a step towards the Grand Staircase, before turning to look at one another in surprise.

"Are we going the same way?" Charlie asked, pointing a finger upstairs.

"It depends on where you're going," Maggie said unsurely. "I'm going to the library; you're going to?"

"Library," Charlie said, his eyebrows raised in surprise. He gave a nervous chuckle. "Great minds, huh?"

"Um, well if we're both going to the same place...Walk together?" Maggie said though part of her wishing Charlie would reject her offer.

At the nod of his head, that thought quickly vanished and the pair slowly made their way up the staircase. Despite the incident where Charlie had essentially saved her life, Maggie still felt incredibly awkward around him. She put it down to the fact that she had spent five years disliking him, only for him to turn out to be half-decent, but there was something else. Something about Weasley put Maggie on edge – no, made her feel strange and she could not put her finger on what it was.

The pair continued walking in silence, uncomfortable and yet strangely pleasant. A small part of Maggie enjoyed it; having slowly come around to the idea of partnering with Charlie in Care of Magical Creatures. Maggie rolled her eyes, scolding herself for her thoughts just as two people scrambled n out in front of them, each holding what appeared to be half a dozen colourful balloons.

From the corner of her eye, Maggie noticed Charlie's flinch and his alarmed expression, but it was quickly masked by two balloons flying towards him, hitting Charlie square in the face and chest. Upon impact, the balloons exploded, drenching Charlie in water. Maggie jumped as some hit her, spooked by the event.

"Fred! George!" Charlie shouted at the two figures stood before him, each with identical grins and bright-red hair. "I thought I told you to stop that!"

"That doesn't ring a bell, does it, George?" The first twin turned to his brother, his expression wicked.

The second twin – George – pretended to ponder the thought for a moment.

"I believe he told us that we couldn't through dungbombs at him, but he never mentioned water balloons," George replied in mock thought.

"Yep, nothing was said about water balloons, Charlie," Fred began.

"So, really, you've brought this on yourself!" George finished, and both twins gave innocent, toothy grins.

Maggie could not help but chuckle when she noticed Charlie's annoyed, wet glare. It caught the attention of all three Weasley siblings and the twins turned to look at her in surprise and curiosity, a familiar twinkle in their eyes.

"Who's that?" One twin asked.

"Charlie, you never told us you had a girlfriend!" The other twin exclaimed.

"Wait until Mum finds out -"

"Hang on, I'm not his girlfriend," Maggie quickly interrupted, her cheeks quickly reddening in embarrassment. She avoided Charlie's eye, finding the situation extremely uncomfortable.

"Yeah, she's definitely not my girlfriend!" Charlie exclaimed, a little too quickly.

Maggie's cheeks blushed even more at his words and something flickered through her mind, though she was too distracted to think about it. Fred and George exchanged identical looks before turning back to Charlie, Cheshire-cat grins etched across their faces.

"Are you sure?" The first twin – Fred, maybe? – asked, still smirking.

"Because Charlie's always talking about you!" George added, his grin identical to his brother's – Maggie was struggling to tell them apart.

"Bill too!"

"Especially after Mum sent that Howler -"

"Wish we could have seen that, Bill said it was hilarious!"

"Percy didn't say much about it when we asked, but he's a bit of a stick in the mud when it comes to stuff like that -"

"He probably couldn't tell the difference between Hiccough Sweets and Frog-Spawn Soap -"

"He's is somewhat disinclined towards humor, our Percy is. We still say he's adopted..."

"But Bill did say that Charlie's face after the Howler was priceless -"

"And even Percy managed a laugh!"

"That's enough!" exclaimed Charlie in a flustered tone.

Maggie looked over at the Gryffindor; his cheeks were nearly as red as his hair, no doubt from embarrassment and annoyance. He glared down at his younger siblings, who smiled back innocently. If Maggie hadn't witnessed the twins' earlier antics, she would have believed their guiltless smiles, as they appeared childlike and harmless.

"Maggie is not my girlfriend, I do not talk always talk about Maggie and for the last time, we are not talking about the Howler again!" Charlie finished his rant by throwing his hands up in the air in exasperation.

The twins blinked innocently before exchanging a look.

"No need to get so wound up about it!" Fred said with a laugh.

"All you needed to do was ask, we've got better things to do than talk about pranks that we didn't commit!"

Charlie almost growled at the twins but once again, they smiled sweetly. Maggie raised an eyebrow at them, her lips quirking into a small smile at their antics.

"Anyways, we've got more mischief to cause!"

"We set off a bunch of dungbombs on the second-floor corridor – I wouldn't go there unless you want to smell for the next week!"

With a laugh, the red-headed twins ran off down the staircase, their laughter echoing down the corridor. Slightly stunned about what just happened, Maggie turned to Charlie, her eyebrow raised in question. He noticed her look and simply shook his head, pressing a hand to his forehead.

"Fred and George – don't ask," He muttered. "I still don't know they turned out like that, saying that they were right about one thing – after Percy we definitely needed some laughter at home."

"I think they're entertaining," Maggie laughed, still amused at their antics.

Charlie shook his head, "You say that until you get woken up at two o'clock in the morning to find yourself surrounded by two dozen toads and them two smirking down at you."

Maggie couldn't help the giggle that escaped her mouth. Charlie looked at her, a crooked smile stretched across his face.

"Laugh all you want, but I still have nightmares about that," He added.

"Sorry, I shouldn't laugh – but how did they manage that?" Maggie asked in curiosity.

Charlie shrugged, "I'm still not sure; when I went to bed, nothing. When I walked up, there was just toads everywhere!"

Both began laughing at the thought and that earlier flicker in Maggie's mind returned. This time, however, she shook the thought away and ignored it.

"Toads, though?" said Maggie, a smirk tugging at her lips. "Toads?"

"I suppose it's free entertainment," Charlie said with a casual shrug of his shoulders, stuffing his hands into his robe pockets. "And only a few of their pranks are actually harmful – most of the time, they're harmless. It's only when you annoy the twins that they purposely do something."

"I bet there's never a quiet moment in your house," Maggie commented, her voice growing quiet, but Charlie didn't notice.

"Yeah, I mean it's pretty chaotic and you never get a moment to yourself because there's always someone interrupting, but it's home," Charlie said, his eyes twinkling with recollection.

"It's must be nice to always have someone there; you'd never get lonely," This time, Maggie's voice was barely a whisper, as she stared down at the ground.

"Hey, what's up? Did I say something to upset you?" Charlie's voice was surprisingly soft and kind. Maggie's eyes drifted up to find him staring down at her in concern, the small action making Maggie smile.

"It's nothing, really. I've just never had that before," She said plainly, hoping she didn't sound pathetic.

Charlie frowned, "What do you mean?"

Maggie gave a mirthless chuckle and shook her head, running a hand through her (now) brown locks.

"Only child," Maggie said dryly. "Believe me, sometimes you wish there were people interrupting you, it does get lonely."

"I-I didn't know, I'm sorry -"

Maggie held a hand up, stopping Charlie's speech. "Don't worry about it, honestly, it's not as bad as I make it out to be. Anyway, you didn't know."

"But still, you get lonely?" Charlie asked, his tone concerned.

Maggie shrugged, "Sometimes. I mean, I've got Dad and Pepper, and I sometimes go downstairs and help out in the pub. It's not so bad, there's just not many people my age around. Tonks and Louisa come round during the holidays too. It's one of the reasons why I love Hogwarts so much."

Charlie gave a nod before he frowned. "Pepper?" He questioned in confusion, and Maggie laughed.

"My dog. One of the two things I miss when I'm here," Maggie explained, and Charlie laughed.

"Now I'm the jealous one! I always wanted a pet, but Mum always said no – I think it would have driven her mad; seven kids and a dog!"

"To be fair, after meeting the twins, I think I can understand why," Maggie said with a small smile, holding back a giggle. "It sounds like she's got enough chaos to deal with, a dog would probably add more."

Charlie nodded, a grin stretching across his lips. Maggie could not help but smile at his wide grin; it was like some foreign source was pushing her to. After a moment of silence, Charlie opened his mouth to speak but a sharp shout quickly cut him off.

"Maggie!"

Both Maggie and Charlie whipped round to see a teary-eyed Louisa storming down the corridor with Tonks hot on her tail. Maggie frowned, her eyes going from Louisa to Tonks, and the metamorphous' sorrowful expression was enough to tell Maggie that something was wrong. Louisa threw herself at Maggie with a sob, her arms wrapping around Maggie's body.

"S-Shaun broke up with me!" Louisa wailed as Tonks appeared next to the two witches.

"Oh Lou, I'm so sorry," Maggie said, pulling her friend into a hug. She looked over at Tonks, who shook her head.

"He-He said that I was to im-immature!"

"Come on, let's get you back to the common room," Tonks said gently, patting the crying witch's shoulder reassuringly.

As the three witches walked down the corridor, Maggie looked over her shoulder and shot Charlie an apologetic smile. He returned it and gave a small shrug of his shoulders before heading up the staircase towards Gryffindor tower. As she watched his figure disappear, Maggie's heart felt a little heavier, knowing full well what would happen next.

At breakfast the following morning, there was a tense atmosphere between the Gryffindors and the Hufflepuffs. Maggie trailed behind Louisa, her mind in another place, and as they entered the Great Hall Maggie could feel all eyes turn in their direction.

If she was affected by this, Louisa did not show it. The witch held her head high and made her way over to their house table, not sparing a glance towards the Gryffindors who stared. Maggie followed suit and sat next to Kevin, who offered both girls a sympathetic smile.

"Where's Tonks?" He asked Maggie quietly so that Louisa would not hear. The other witch had struck up a tense conversation with Eddie, who appeared rather intimidated by the girl's forcefulness.

"McGonagall caught her up by Gryffindor Tower, setting up pranks for Newberry to stumble into," Maggie replied, her eyes fixated on her porridge. She dared not look across the room.

Kevin gave a brief nod, deep in thought, as he turned to watch Adam's attempts to distract Louisa, who had grown annoyed at Eddie's lackluster conversation.

Maggie felt the familiar feeling of someone staring at her and it took all she had not to look up. After a few minutes, however, she couldn't fight the urge any longer, and her gaze slowly rose up. Brown eyes met blue and Maggie felt that flicker through her mind once again, offering Charlie a sad smile as they both knew, once again everything would change.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's note \- We've hit ten chapters people! And we're not far from 50,000 words! Happy days! To honour this here is another fluffy chapter filled with some of the best traits of a Hufflepuff - and Charlie! Side note, some light swearing ahead, so this is your warning. **

**Don't forget to like and review!**

* * *

_I would rather die fighting for what is right than live passively amidst all that is wrong._

_\- **Suzy Kassem**_

* * *

_August 1990_

"Maggie, could you go and help on the counter? I've got to check the stock in the backroom."

Maggie looked up from the shelves she was stocking to see Josh, one of her colleagues, stood beside her with his arms full of parchment scrolls. Josh nodded his head towards the counter, where a small queue had begun to form.

"Yeah, no problem," Maggie said, placing the books she held onto a nearby table.

Josh shot her a grateful smile. "Thanks. I didn't realise today was the day Hogwarts letters were sent out."

"I'd forgot to mention it when I came; mine came this morning," Maggie said before heading over to the till counter. A small smile stretched across her lips when she thought about what else had come with that letter.

The next few hours saw Maggie rushed off her feet; Ms Kelly commented it had been the busiest she'd ever seen Flourish and Blotts and the elder woman had worked in the shop for nearly a decade. At one point, Maggie found herself questioning why she had taken the summer job in the bookshop when a few customers had been extremely unpleasant and rude, but the reminder of a steady paycheck convinced Maggie that she would persevere through it.

Seeing some of her fellow classmates was an added bonus, though Maggie did not have a moment to spare to stand and chat. Louisa and her brothers arrived just after lunch, and while her younger brother, Ernie, darted straight to the children's books, Maggie managed a quick conversation with her friend as she rung up her purchases.

"I managed to avoid Shaun earlier, thank Merlin," Louisa said as Maggie wrapped up her chosen books. "He was stood outside Gambol and Japes; Albert went over to speak to him, but Mum took me and Ernie into Madam Malkins instead. I think she wanted to distract me, and I guess in some part, it worked – I bought some new dress robes, so it did work."

After Louisa left, a few other people who Maggie knew ventured into the shop. As usual, Kevin wore a wide smile and happily chatted to Maggie about his holidays – that was until Ms Kelly shot Kevin an annoyed look and the young wizard scampered away quickly, apologizing to Maggie for distracting her. Maggie reassured her fellow Hufflepuff that he was not distracting her, her eyes narrowing in Ms Kelly direction as she did. As the day wore on, her dislike of the woman grew.

Maggie had quickly learned in the few weeks of working in Flourish and Blotts that her elder colleague was very by-the-book and strict; Ms Kelly would often purse her lips in disapproval while watching Maggie work. Depending on who entered the shop, Ms Kelly's voice would change – Maggie quickly discovered how Ms Kelly favoured those who she knew, insisting that her friends wouldn't wait in the steady queue and serving them straight away. Others, Maggie noticed, Ms Kelly would look down upon, her clenched jaw clearly suggesting deep disapproval. On occasion, she would make a comment to Maggie though this varied again, depending on the person.

"Oh Merlin," Ms Kelly muttered, as Maggie finished serving a customer. "It's those Weasleys; I swear, that family are like rabbits, there's more of them every time I see them!"

Maggie looked up from her bookkeeping, her eyes widening in surprise and slight caution. Her gaze immediately landed upon the small group of people who were stood by the door. She scanned the crowd carefully but could not make out the familiar figure of Charlie. Something flashed through her – could it have been disappointment? – when she did not see him. In fact, of the group, there were very few she recognised.

Bill Weasley was not there; Maggie knew that he would not have been though as she had heard that after graduating Hogwarts, he had been accepted onto the Curse Breaker programme for Gringotts in Egypt. Charlie was clearly absent, so the next person she recognised was Percy, though Maggie had never spoken to him before, instead only having passed him in the corridors. The twins were there, but they quickly disappeared into the shop, and Maggie could not help but cringe at the thought of the twins causing mischief in the shop.

The rest of the family, Maggie did not recognise. The woman was clearly the matriarch of the family; she was a kindly-looking woman with the same fiery red hair that all of her children seemed to have inherited. Two children clung to her side, a boy and a girl. The boy appeared to be a few years of Hogwarts age – perhaps nine or ten years old – while the girl was a year or two younger.

Ms Kelly's posture grew stiff as the family perused the shop, and her disapproving scowl grew even wider as Mrs Weasley approached the counter. Maggie gave a small smile as the elder woman placed a pile of books in front of Ms Kelly, though she was slightly distracted by one of her sons.

"If we've got time, we'll go see Charlie, but we've got a lot to do, Ronald," Mrs Weasley said to her youngest son, before turning back to the counter. Her happy expression waved slightly at the sight of Ms Kelly and her disapproving expression.

"Cynthia," Mrs Weasley said, her warm tone forced.

"Molly," Ms Kelly gave a short nod back, though her expression remained.

Mrs Weasley pushed the books forward, "Just these please -"

"Oh Mrs Fawley!" Ms Kelly suddenly exclaimed, her disapproving expression melting away into one of overexaggerated kindness. "Such a pleasure to see you; here, I'll ring these up for you."

Ms Kelly made a show of pushing the books Mrs Weasley had placed on the counter back towards the red-haired woman. With a wide, caricature smile, Ms Kelly accepted the items from Mrs Fawley. Mrs Weasley took a slightly stunned step back as Mrs Fawley pushed her way in front of the counter, and the two elder women began to chat, as though nothing had happened.

"How are you and the family? I heard about Howard, you must be thrilled!" Ms Kelly blathered away, doing her best to ignore Mrs Weasley. "I must say though, I was surprised but -"

"Excuse me," Mrs Weasley said loudly, grabbing the attention of both Ms Kelly and Mrs Fawley. "I believe I was next in the queue."

Ms Kelly offered a simpering smile, "I'm afraid you're mistaken. We are very busy, so you will have to wait your turn."

"But I was next," Mrs Weasley insisted, and Maggie noticed her cheeks flushing red in embarrassment. "Mrs Fawley was not in the queue."

"You'll simply have to wait your turn, Mrs Weasley," Ms Kelly wore a smug expression as she looked down her nose at Mrs Weasley. "Regardless, Mrs Fawley clearly has fewer items than you, so it does work out quicker for her to go first."

Maggie could feel the tension growing as Ms Kelly and Mrs Weasley glared at one another, though it was Ms Kelly who wore the superior expression. Mrs Weasley's cheeks continued to redden in embarrassment and the young boy beside her quickly grew silent. Though she knew it was anger Ms Kelly to no end, Maggie decided to intervene, not wanting Ms Kelly to win after her childish behavior.

She took a step toward the counter, a few spaces down from Ms Kelly, with a wide, determined smile.

"I'd be happy to ring up those items, Ma'am," Maggie said loudly, catching all three ladies' attention.

Ms Kelly's expression was murderous as Mrs Weasley stepped forward and Maggie could feel Ms Kelly glaring daggers at her as she quickly wrapped up Mrs Weasley's items. The red-headed woman was silent, the redness in her cheeks lessened as Maggie quickly worked away.

"That will be three galleons and two sickles, please," Maggie said brightly, hoping that her cheerfulness would annoy Ms Kelly even further.

As Mrs Weasley gathered the money from her purse, Maggie noticed the young boy staring up at her. Maggie could not help but be reminded of her first year at Hogwarts; Charlie's brother was eerily similar to how he had appeared in their first year of Hogwarts. Maggie smiled warmly at the young boy, who offered a small smile in return.

Mrs Weasley managed a smile, albeit slightly forced, as she nodded at Maggie before leaving the shop, her entourage of children following her out of the shop. Ms Kelly did not say a word to Maggie until Mrs Fawley left; the shop was almost empty, with the odd customer dotted round the shop.

"Now, you see here, missy," Ms Kelly began, her arms folded across her body as she glared down at Maggie, a wicked look in her eye. "You have no right to undermine my authority like that! It was downright disrespectful what you did there, and I should report you for making a fool of me like that!"

"And maybe I should report you, Ms Kelly, for your lack of respect!" Maggie exclaimed. She refused to let Ms Kelly bully her into submission; her conduct and attitude were entirely twisted. "You may think it acceptable to favour some people over others, but where I come from, we treat everyone with the same respect, regardless of who they are."

Ms Kelly glared at Maggie as though she was a weed beneath her feet. "You'd best watch yourself, missy. You don't want to be making enemies around here – it may be the done thing in that muggle world where you come from, but we pure-blooded wizards have a way to do things. You'd best be understanding that if you wish to work here."

Maggie could not help the glare that graced her features. Her mind raced back to Scaboir, both in first and fifth year, and his sick words. _Filthy muggle spawn, you should stay in your hovel_, and though the words rang differently, the sentiment still remained. No matter what she did, Maggie was muggle-born, and compared to others, she would always be a secondary citizen.

"You know what? Stuff your prejudicial job; I'd rather not have a job than sacrifice my morals," Maggie said, throwing her work-robes down onto the counter and grabbing her bag before turning back to Ms Kelly. "My integrity's worth more than some paycheck; at least I can sleep at night."

With that, Maggie turned on her heel and stormed out of the bookshop, making sure to slam the door loudly behind her. A cool breeze tickled Maggie's flushed cheek as she stepped onto the street before reality came crashing down and Maggie swore vehemently, realising what she had just done. A few passer-by's shot Maggie disgruntled glares for her language, but she paid them little attention. Instead, she raked her hands through her hair, cursing herself for her actions.

_You idiot, why did you have to do that? _Maggie scolded herself as she replayed the scene over and over again in her head, in a vain attempt to justify her actions.

"Bugger, bugger, bugger," She muttered under her breath, trying to think of what to do next. "You stupid idiot, for Merlin's sake!"

In a moment of clarity, Maggie reasoned that despite her outburst, she had done the right thing. Ms Kelly's conduct was completely out of order – Maggie had only stood up against the woman because it was the right thing to do! With a sigh, Maggie tiredly rubbed her forehead, trying to decide what to do next. Her best choice would be to get some food first – she'd never gotten her lunch break and Maggie found it difficult to concentrate on an empty stomach – and then apparate home. Maggie couldn't help the groan that escaped her lips at the thought of telling her father what had happened, he would be so disappointed!

Maggie began a slow wander down Diagon Alley, not too keen on returning home. Her arms crossed defensively across her body, trying to make herself feel brave. Despite the August weather, it was slightly chilly and once again, Maggie cursed herself for throwing down her work-robes – she'd paid for them after all and they would have kept her warm. She headed in the direction of Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream parlour, Maggie reasoned she needed something to cheer her up after the horrendous shift and ice cream would be the perfect solution.

Maggie hadn't gotten far however when the sound of a commotion reached her ear. Frowning, Maggie turned, and her eyes landed on a small group of people who appeared to be arguing. Her eyes narrowed when she noticed a small red-headed girl surrounded by three boys, all of whom appeared a few years older. The little girl was fighting back tears, though she stood proud and glared at the older boys, who were laughing and making fun of her.

"Look at her robes, I bet they're hand-downs from your brothers – are you sure you're even a girl?"

"Bet your parents were disappointed when they got you. Look, they've even tried dressing her up as a boy, who would want a stupid girl?"

"I'm surprised your parents haven't given you back yet, how can they even afford you all? I bet you live in some pig shack somewhere, you probably can't even afford a wand!"

For the second time that day, Maggie felt her anger rise. Once again, her integrity got the better of her as she was reminded of all the bullies she had faced in her life. Images of Scaboir, Langley, even the Primary School bullies who tormented her as a child flashed through her mind as she stepped forward.

"You know, picking on someone younger and smaller shows a lack of character," Maggie said loudly as she stepped towards the small group, planting herself by the young girl's side.

All three boys shrank back slightly though one was not that deterred.

"I don't think it's any of your business, Miss, we were only talking to her," He said cockily, attempting to square up against Maggie.

Though she wasn't the tallest of people, Maggie still stood higher than all three boys, mainly because of age, but the ringleader was only a head shorter than Maggie. She didn't let this intimidate her, however, and she returned the gesture.

"Really? Because from where I'm stood, it sounded like you were picking on her," Maggie quipped, standing her ground. "But, seeing as you were 'only talking' -" Maggie emphasised that word before staring down at the three boys. "I'll let you in on a little secret

"You might think that you're the big, scary persona, but in truth? You're probably more sacred than the person you're picking on. You're probably picking on them because of your own insecurities so tell me, can you not afford to buy your own wand?" Maggie question, a fake sarcastic smile plastered across her lips. "Do you live in a pig shack?" Her eyes darted to the next boy, who cowered under her gaze. "Or did your parents want a girl, and that's why you decided to take out your anger on someone smaller than you?"

All three boys were silent, their faces flustered under Maggie's cool gaze. Beside her, the red-headed girl gave a small smile at the sight and Maggie felt a surge of bravery run through her.

"A word of advice, seeing as you're no doubt going to Hogwarts this year," Maggie said brightly. "As of this morning, when my Hogwarts letter arrived, I'm Head Girl. And if there's one thing I won't stand for, it's bullies," Maggie paused for a moment, tilting her head in thought.

"And even if you're not going to Hogwarts this year, I want you to remember that because I will try my hardest to make sure that whoever is Head Girl or prefect after me has the same values. So just remember that, because I'll be watching."

As Maggie finished her speech, she smiled widely, pleased at the scared expressions all three boys wore. While she knew that they were harmless, and she might have gone a step too far, Maggie couldn't help but feel pleased with herself.

"So, off you run, no doubt you have a lot to think about," Maggie said as the three boys quickly darted away, leaving Maggie alone with the girl. She turned and offered a kind smile. "Are you okay?"

The girl gave a shy nod, though her expression had perked up and there was a distinct lack of tears in her eyes. Maggie's eyes flickered up and down the alleyway before darting back to the girl, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Where's your Mum?" Maggie asked the red-haired girl. "Or your brothers?"

The girl blushed, her cheeks flushing a shade of red that almost matched her hair.

"I wandered off," She admitted, avoiding Maggie's gaze. "I wanted to go see Charlie, but the twins kept setting off stink pellets in Madam Malkins and Ron was pestering Mum to take him to look at brooms. I thought it would be okay – I did ask Mummy, but I don't think she heard me."

Maggie patted the little girl's shoulder, hoping it offered small comfort.

"Tell you what, I was on my way to the Ice Cream Parlour – if we head there together, we can try and look for your Mum on the way. And if we can't see her, we'll get an ice cream each and look properly. How does that sound?" Maggie asked, and she smiled at the girl's happy reaction.

"I'm Maggie, by the way," She said as the pair wandered up the street.

"I'm Ginny," The girl said shyly, sticking close to Maggie's side. She paused for a moment before looking up at the older girl with a curious grin. "Are you the girl who Charlie knocked off her broomstick in the Quidditch match?"

Maggie groaned though it was well-mannered. "People are still talking about that?" She face-palmed in exasperation, though it was exaggerated as Maggie hoped to make Ginny laugh.

"I was there when Mum wrote the howler," Ginny explained through her giggles. "I thought she was going to murder him at one point – it was almost worse the week later when Mum and Dad got the letter about that girl being hexed!"

Maggie froze, her mind racing to Scaboir's dark eyes glaring down at her. She quickly brushed those thoughts away and was glad that Ginny hadn't noticed. The young girl babbled away, oblivious to Maggie's brief pause, chatting about her brothers. Maggie couldn't help but smile as the girl described each of her brothers, Charlie's description in particular, though Ginny clearly did not know that Maggie (somewhat) knew Charlie. It wasn't until they reached Fortescue's that Ginny abruptly stopped her chatter, pulling back slightly.

"What's up?" Maggie asked, her eyebrows knitted in confusion.

Ginny gestured toward a group of children, and when Maggie looked closer, she realised it was the three boys from earlier. She glanced down at Ginny, who stood warily, almost like a caged animal waiting to bolt.

"It's them," Ginny said quietly.

"Hey, listen to me," Maggie said, turning to face the red-headed girl. "Ignore them. Seriously, screw them; they're not worth your time. There are always going to be people who think that they're better than you or think they can make fun of you just because they can.

But at the end of the day? What can their words really do? People are always going to try to tell you that you're worth less than what you are, but you've just got to punch back and say, 'go away'. It'll be hard but believe me, you'll feel proud of yourself, especially further down the line when the tables have turned and they're the ones on the other side."

Ginny gave a slow nod, pondering Maggie's words. Her eyebrows were furrowed in thought though her eyes seemed to brighten in understanding. Maggie looked back at the three boys before asking Ginny;

"What were those boys' names?"

"Ryan Marshall, Peter Carmichael, and Cormac McLaggen," Ginny said, narrowing her eyes.

Maggie couldn't help the scoff that escaped her lips and Ginny looked up in confusion.

"Sorry, being an arse clearly runs in the family, McLaggen's brother was in the year above me at Hogwarts," Maggie said, staring at the boy. "Wait, pretend I didn't say arse, you're too young to be swearing."

"My brothers swear all the time," Ginny shrugged as the two entered the shop and placed their orders. "It's not a big deal, Mum's always telling Ron off for his language, and he's only a year older than me."

"How old are you?" Maggie asked curiously, passing a few pieces of gold to the waitress. "You're nearly Hogwarts age, aren't you?"

"Two more years," Ginny said sadly as Maggie handed her a strawberry ice cream with sprinkles. "Ron's going next year so I'll be the only one home – it'll be so boring."

"It's not that long, to be fair," Maggie reasoned as she took a bit out of her ice cream – a toffee ice cream cone with chocolate chips. "It's my last year in Hogwarts and I'm wishing I had longer – believe me, the time will fly once you're there."

"Bill said that too," Ginny commented. "I miss not having him around, it feels different to when he left for Hogwarts – at least I knew he would be coming back for Christmas."

"Hey, he's not gone forever," Maggie said with a smile. "I'm sure he'll write all the time, and anyways, you of all people have plenty of brothers!"

Ginny laughed, nearly dropping her ice cream. Once she had recovered, she looked up at Maggie with a curious expression.

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

Maggie shook her head, "Nope, it's just me. It can get a bit boring – that's why I like going to Hogwarts so much."

Ginny looked as though she was going to ask another question when a shout interrupted their conversation.

"Ginny!"

Both girls looked to see Charlie hurrying down the alley towards them, his expression both worried and annoyed. Ginny took a meek step back, realising Charlie had found out that she had wandered off. When he reached the two witches, it took all Maggie had to not laugh at his expression, though because of the seriousness atmosphere, she stifled her laugh.

"Where in Merlin's name have you been? Mum's beside herself, she thought you'd wandered into Knockturn Alley!"

"I wanted to come and see you at the shop, but I got a bit lost," Ginny mumbled, avoiding Charlie's glare. "Mum wasn't paying attention, so I thought it would be okay."

Charlie raked a hand through his ginger hair, his exasperation growing. "You can't just wander off like that," His tone was slightly calmer, though there was still a hint of anger. "Something serious could have happened – why are you eating ice cream?!"

Maggie stuck her hand up, stepping forward slightly. "That would be me," She said, and Charlie blinked widely, only now having noticed Maggie's presence. "I found Ginny down the other end of the alley, with some people who were -" She exchanged a quick look with Ginny. "- Shall we say, giving her a hard time? So, I sorted them out, and because I hadn't had my lunch, we went to Fortescue's and I bought us ice cream to cheer us up."

Charlie took a minute to process Maggie's words before giving a slow nod, his posture relaxing.

"Okay," He said, still nodding. "That's okay, but Mum is still going to be mad – you've got a lot of explaining to do," He said to Ginny, who avoided his gaze before turning back to Maggie. "Sorry for interrupting your lunch break."

It was Maggie's turn to look sheepish as she gave a small smile. "Actually, this is my own free time now, I don't think I get a lunch break anymore," At Charlie's confused expression, Maggie sighed. "I may have lost my job today, hence why I needed the ice cream to cheer me up."

Both Charlie and Ginny looked at Maggie in confusion, but it was Charlie who spoke. "But I thought you loved working there?"

"Correction, I love books. Working there made me want to rip my hair out and today was the lucky day I decided to tell my vindictive colleague where she could stuff her pretentious job," Maggie said before looking at Ginny. "Just ignore that last bit."

Charlie looked at Maggie with a curious expression. "This 'vindictive colleague', it wouldn't happen to be Cynthia Kelly, would it?"

"Guessed it in one," Maggie gave a dry laugh. "Honestly, I've met Slytherins that are nicer than her."

Charlie nodded, "Mum doesn't like her either – she came into the shop in a right foul mood because of her."

"Well, tell your mother that I share that feeling, and that ice cream helps with the rage," Maggie smiled. Charlie laughed at the comment and Maggie felt a warmth spread over her body.

"I should probably be heading home," Maggie admitted, shifting her weight from one foot to another. She looked down at Ginny with a smile. "Remember what I told you?"

"Yes," The girl said confidently, a wide smile stretching across her lips. "You'll make a great Head Girl."

"Thanks, kid," Maggie smiled before turning to Charlie. "See you at school, Weasley, enjoy the rest of the holidays."

She turned on her heel but barely made it five steps before she heard the shout.

"I thought we were on a first-name basis!" Charlie called, and Maggie turned to face him with a grin.

"Old habits are hard to break!" She replied, and as she turned away, Maggie could hear Charlie's laughter. Her smile widened, and she quickened her pace, eager to get home.


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note \- It's a Saturday update! Slightly later than usual but I was at a Christmas party last night and needed a bit time to recover...But the day is made brighter by a new chapter! A big thank you to everyone who has followed, favourited or reviewed, we're almost at 100 followers! (Throws confetti!) And with this chapter, it brings the word count up to an impressive 50,000 words! **

**So the last chapter had you feeling all warm and snuggly inside about Maggie slowly warming up to Charlie? Well, things are taking a bit of a backwards tumble because the life of a teenager is never just blue skies and rainbows (though Charlie's world is about to become dark with a good chance of gloom). I'll apologise now but I just love the drama!**

**Don't forget to leave a review if you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

Those who really love you don't mean to hurt you and if they do, you can't see it in their eyes but it hurts them too

\- _**Holly Black**_

* * *

_November 1990_

"I can't believe Snape, two rolls of parchment on Golpalott's Third Law and poison antidotes, all in for Friday!" Tonks exclaimed in despair as she and Maggie headed up the Marble Staircase. "Honestly, does he think we eat, breath and sleep potions? We've got practice tomorrow night!"

"It's Snape; he's probably given us the homework so that we can't practice tomorrow," Maggie deadpanned, before quickly looking over her shoulder. "Anyway, he's no doubt done that on purpose, he clearly wants Slytherin to win and knows that they'll never beat us. So, he sets the homework to distract us."

Tonks gave a slow nod, "That slimy git, of course he's done that on purpose!" She said before giving Maggie a playful shove, "Good thinking, Titch. This means we have to work together on the homework, there's no way we can lose to Slytherin now!"

Maggie let out a laugh just as the two witches reached the top of the staircase. Her eyes narrowed at the sound of commotion coming from across the Entrance Hall, but Maggie elected to ignore it in favour of dinner. She followed Tonks into the Great Hall and they took their usual seats beside Eddie and Adam, who were already digging into the food. Maggie happily sat down across from the pair and helped herself to a cheese sandwich.

"Heard that Slytherin's supposedly got a new chaser, Tonks," Eddie said as he helped himself to another sandwich. "Some little third year, what was his name – Flint, I think?"

Tonks scoffed, "What is it with people and choosing little third years for the House team? Gryffindors got the two Weasley twins as beaters and I swear, Ravenclaw's Keeper is a second-year!"

"We do have a second year as reserve seeker, Nymph, remember?" Maggie reminded the other witch, whose cheeks blushed slightly.

"Yes, but that's different," Tonks insisted, pointing her fork towards the Gryffindor table, "Cedric isn't playing every match; Weasley's brothers are fully-fledged team members!"

"They are wickedly good though, they thrashed us in the last match" Adam commented. The table few silent and the boy looked up to find three pairs of eyes glaring at him and he raised his hands in defence. "What, they are!"

Tonks leaned forward, "Say that again and I'll hex you to Holland," She said, her tone serious.

Maggie's lips quivered at the witch's threat but went back to eating her sandwich. Tonks and Adam continued to argue over Quidditch tactics – "Adam, you don't even like Quidditch!" – while Maggie pulled out her Transfiguration book and began to read the chapter on Animagi. Her eyebrows had just begun to narrow in confusion over a strangely worded paragraph when she heard a shout.

"Maggie!"

Maggie and her fellow witch and wizards looked up to see Kevin, red-faced and panting, running towards where they were sat. The fellow Hufflepuff wheezed a few times, clutching his chest before looking over at Maggie.

"MacFarlan...Entrance Hall...Fight..." Kevin rasped as he collapsed onto the bench. "Louisa's there...Newberry and Weasley..."

Despite Kevin's broken words, Maggie's eyes widened in shock and she jumped to her feet. Behind her, she heard Tonks call after her, but Maggie didn't spare a glance, instead darting from her seat and running out of the Hall. Just outside the Entrance Hall, a small crowd was growing in the Viaduct Courtyard. Ignoring the shouts and glares, Maggie pushed her way forward, through the crowd and her eyes widened at the sight in front of her.

Three figures stood in the centre of the crowd that formed around them. That is, two were stood, one was hunched down on the floor, having clearly been winded. The other two figures looked slightly worse for wear; one clutching the side of his head as boils had begun to erupt over his cheek. The other figure was seemingly unharmed but had his wand out and pointed at the crumpled figure on the ground.

How it happened, Maggie did not know but her wand appeared in her hand and the next thing she knew, she was shouting.

"Leave him alone!" Maggie shouted, darting forward and placing herself in between the figures of Joe MacFarlan and Charlie Weasley.

Charlie at least had the decency to look shocked. His wand lowered slightly, but Maggie could not miss the glint of anger that passed through his blue eyes and how his wand remained trained on Joe, despite Maggie's presence. Fury flamed through Maggie's veins like raging fire and she returned the gesture, keeping her wand pointed at Charlie. Both Charlie and Shaun Newberry, who had somewhat recovered from the boil attack, eyed it warily.

"Listen, Maggie, it's not what it looks like -" Charlie began slowly, raising his free hand in defence.

"It looks like you just attacked my boyfriend!" Maggie exclaimed, cutting Charlie off. "Two against one is hardly fair, what in Merlin's name is wrong with you?"

"He started it!" Charlie argued, pointing his wand at Joe. "We were provoked, ask anyone -"

"So you hexed him?!" Maggie shouted. Her cheeks were no doubt red with anger and she could sense people staring at her, but she ignored them, focusing only on the situation.

"Listen, Ainsworth, you're not involved, just walk away -" Newberry began, still clutching his face.

Maggie noticed the blood that leaked from his nose and began to wonder what in Merlin's name had happened before she arrived. She glared at Newberry, having still harboured resentment towards him for the way he and Louisa had ended their relationship. In truth, part of Maggie knew that she was overreacting, but her emotions were going haywire at the sight of her boyfriend, hurt on the floor.

"Like I said, two against one really isn't fair," Maggie growled, pointing her wand towards Newberry. He and Charlie shared a worried look before Charlie stepped forward.

"Look, Maggie, you don't want to get involved," He said, his voice suddenly softer and more pleasant. "Just go back inside -"

"And let you two hurt him even more?" Maggie exclaimed, her eyes narrowing at Charlie's words. "What did he ever do to you?"

Charlie was about to reply when Newberry shouted. Maggie barely had time to blink before a streak of light flashed past Maggie. Charlie stumbled back, clutching his face as a bleeding gash appeared. Turning in shock, Maggie spun round to see Joe stood behind her, clutching his middle and pointing his wand in Charlie's direction. Maggie could only stare in disbelief at the figure of her boyfriend, horrified by what had happened.

"What is the meaning of this?" Professor McGonagall's voice echoed throughout the courtyard, shocked and shrill.

Maggie quickly lowered her wand, Charlie and Joe following suite. She glared at the two Gryffindors while cursing herself. The crowd surrounding them quickly dispersed, leaving only the four figures in the centre and Professor McGonagall. The Professor marched toward the four students, her face furious.

"Duelling in the courtyard, in front of the entire school; I am disgusted!" said Professor McGonagall, an angry look fixated across her features which seemed to grow as she stared at the four students in front of her. "I have never seen such deplorable behaviour. Explain yourselves!"

Maggie glared down at her shoes as anger, mixed with frustration and disappointment washed through her. Part of her mind wanted to sell out the others, throw them into the fire, but Maggie found that she couldn't. The first reason being that Joe was her boyfriend, for Merlin's sake, she couldn't rat him out! Even when it came to Charlie and Weasley, she had formed a somewhat tense acquaintanceship (certainly not friendship) with Weasley and it didn't feel right ratting him out either. And by extension, she couldn't sell out Newberry by himself, her shaky relationship with Charlie covered him too.

"Well?" demanded Professor McGonagall, her tone livid. "Do none of you have anything to say for yourselves?!"

Raising her eyes slightly, Maggie noticed the deep glare stretched across Charlie's expression, bitter and hostile, and a feeling of indignation flashed through Maggie's mind. There was no way they could blame Joe for this; it was two against one, he had been outnumbered and impuissant. Any thoughts of friendship Maggie held towards Charlie vanished at the sight of his glare; it was clear that her comradery with Charlie meant nothing to him!

"None of you have anything to say?" Professor McGonagall's voice barked over the silence, and there was a collective flinch and the coldness of her tone. "No words for what happened here? I find the four of you duelling in broad daylight, in front of first-years no less, and none of you can explain yourselves -"

"Maggie wasn't part of it," Charlie's voice suddenly sounded, catching everyone's attention. The girl in question looked up, startled, to find Charlie looking anywhere but at her.

"I beg your pardon, Mr Weasley?" said Professor McGonagall, in a low, cautionary tone. "Miss Ainsworth was not part of this?"

Charlie shook his head, "No, Professor," He admitted, still avoiding Maggie's gaze. "It was MacFarlan, Shaun and I who were duelling, not Ainsworth. She was never part of it; just wrong place, wrong time."

Professor McGonagall raised a steady eyebrow in question as she carefully studied the Weasley's boy's expression.

"Is that -" She slowly began. "-What you all have to say?" Professor McGonagall turned to look at the other three students, her eyes flickering from Joe to Newberry. "Miss Ainsworth was not part of this disgraceful exhibition?"

Joe quickly nodded, not even sparing a glance towards the others. Newberry however, was slightly reluctant to agree, but Charlie discreetly aimed a small kick at his leg. After letting out a sharp groan, Newberry too, nodded in agreement.

"Very well," Professor McGonagall nodded, her gaze darting from each student until her eyes landed upon Maggie. "Miss Ainsworth, you are free to go. But I would ask that you first escort Mister MacFarlan to the Hospital Wing. Judging from his expression, I think he will need to see Madam Pomfrey. Mister Weasley and Mister Newberry will be there shortly after I have spoken to them about House decorum."

"Yes, Professor McGonagall," Maggie said quietly, moving over to help support Joe's staggered figure.

"And rest assured, Mister MacFarlan, I will be speaking to your Head of House about these events; believe me, I have not forgotten," Professor McGonagall added with a sharp nod.

Maggie took the opportunity to quickly leave and avoid Professor McGonagall's wrath. She made sure that she and Joe were inside the Entrance Hall and out of earshot when she finally turned to face him, her face like thunder.

"What in Merlin's name happened, Joe?" Maggie demanded, her arms crossed in fury.

Joe gave a sheepish smile, "It's not what you think, Mags, they attacked me!"

"And you retaliated?" Maggie exclaimed, throwing her hands up in anger. "What were they saying that was so bad, that you just had to strike back?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Joe grumbled, his voice lowering. "Why does it matter?"

"It matters because you got into a fight with two Gryffindors and came out barely able to stand!" said Maggie, her voice rising in annoyance. "Honestly, Joe, I thought you had more sense than that..."

"What, so those two can go round making fun of everyone, but when I talk back, I get hexed because I'm the only one with the guts to say anything?" Joe retorted. Maggie flinched slightly at the harshness of his words.

"But why couldn't you have ignored them?" Maggie asked, her tone tired.

Joe sighed, ducking his head and avoiding Maggie's eye.

"I just wanted to take them down a peg, show them that they don't run the roost," Joe said.

He glared down at the floor, avoiding Maggie's gaze and the witch couldn't help but feel as though something was amiss.

"You still shouldn't have retaliated, it was two against one -" Maggie began but was cut off by Joe grabbing her hands, staring her directly in the eye.

"Please, Maggie, you've got to believe me, I didn't start it!" He insisted. Maggie remained silent, so he went on. "Honestly, I swear I didn't, they started it not me!"

Maggie stared back into Joe's hazel eyes for a moment before sighing. She ran a hand through her brown hair before giving a tired nod.

"Okay, I believe you."

* * *

Joe spent the night in the Hospital Wing, in the bed across from Shaun Newberry, much to both wizards' dismay. Maggie later found out from Louisa that all three wizards had earned themselves detention up until the Christmas holidays for their actions. Much to Maggie' dismay, it meant that her Hogsmeade plans for the following week were cancelled; Joe had planned to take her to The Three Broomsticks for an early Christmas date.

"You know it was Joe who aimed the first hex, right?" Louisa said quietly, that same night.

Maggie had been in the middle of brushing her hair and dropped her hairbrush at the suddenness of the witch's words. As she reached down to pick it up, Maggie's mind could not help but race back to Joe's pleading words.

"Joe told me that it was Weasley and Newberry who started it," Maggie said evenly, avoiding Louisa's gaze.

"That's not what everyone else is saying."

"I don't care what everyone else says, okay Louisa?" Maggie snapped, whipping her head round to face the other girl. "Joe told me that he didn't start it, so I believe my boyfriend. He wouldn't lie to me!"

The atmosphere grew that tense after Maggie's outburst, that the witch found herself going to bed at an early hour, in an attempt to avoid the other girls. Tonks tried to speak to her, but Maggie ignored her best friend, not wanting to listen to reason. After ensuring the curtains were drawn around her bed, Maggie curled up in bed and squeezed her eyes shut, in an attempt to block out the day's events and to stop her tears from falling.

The next morning, after a sleepless night of tossing and turning, Maggie was up and dressed before any of the girls in her dormitory, which was typically unheard of, especially on a Saturday. Maggie skipped breakfast, again not wanting to face people and instead headed straight to the library, hoping to find peace and quiet there. She easily found a secluded spot, away from any prying eyes and Maggie plonked her books loudly down on the table, earning a fierce glare from Madam Pince.

Maggie kept her head hung low, in a subconscious attempt to hide herself from the Hogwarts population. By now, the entire school knew what had happened, and while it was still debatable who through the first curse, Maggie did not want to discuss the matter with anyone. Instead, she chose to bury herself in her schoolwork, trying to focus her mind on something to distract it from the emotions that swirled around. But despite her best attempts, Maggie's mind repeatedly wandered away from her work and she found that her attempts were fruitless.

"Maggie?"

Startled at the sudden voice, Maggie looked up from her schoolwork. She was fully prepared to send whoever it was running, but her features softened when she saw who had spoken.

"Hey Cedric," She said softly, a small smile gracing her lips as she looked at the little second year stood in front of her. "Now's not really a great time."

Cedric shrugged and gave an easy-going smile. "I thought you'd say that," He replied, moving to sit down at the table. "But I also thought you could do with a bit company."

Maggie blinked as Cedric began unpacking his school bag, taken back by the second-year's brazenness. Cedric appeared unperturbed by the witch's expression and happily unrolled some parchment before he began to scribble away. Maggie studied him for a moment, deliberating on what to do. After a moment of thought, the witch sighed and returned to her reading.

Cedric was silent, for the most part. Maggie had taken up tutoring just after Christmas in sixth year (Cedric being a second-year) and found that she got on well with the young wizard. Being part of the same house helped this too, as well as being prefect and Head Girl as Cedric and other first-years had often come to Maggie for help. Woe to admit it, Maggie held a soft spot for Cedric, finding his relaxed and kind nature easy to get along with.

So when Cedric had approached Maggie and asked for help with his homework, Maggie would always readily agree. Cedric was a hard-working, something Maggie respected, and he would always listen carefully to Maggie's words. The witch found tutoring to be quite easy, and enjoyable at that as both Hufflepuffs shared talent for transfiguration.

"What's the spell for changing animals into water goblets?" Cedric asked quietly.

"_Vera Verto_," Maggie replied, her eyes still fixated on her book. It took a moment for Maggie to realise that Cedric was staring at her and she looked up with a frown. "What?"

Cedric was silent for a moment, his expression tight, before he said, "I saw the duel yesterday."

Maggie blinked. Her first instinct was to ignore Cedric's statement, or even tell him that she didn't want to talk about it, but something made Maggie bite her tongue. She carefully studied his features, searching for anything that betrayed him.

"A lot of people saw what happened," She said carefully, her eyes focused on Cedric. "I'm pretty sure that half the school knows about it."

"How are you doing though?" Cedric questioned, and Maggie raised an eyebrow before he continued. "All I mean is that I saw what happened after. You seemed pretty upset."

"I think you mean angry."

Cedric shrugged, "You said it, not me," He said, a small smirk pulling at his lips. "But you were upset; I can tell when you try to hide it."

"Why do you ask?" Maggie asked, studying his expression carefully.

"Because I saw your reaction, and I know that you were put in an awkward position where you had to choose between your boyfriend and your friend."

"Weasley is not my friend," The words snapped out of Maggie's mouth a lot harsher than she intended. Cedric appeared unfazed, however.

"You get on with him though, so it's still hard," Cedric pointed out and Maggie sighed. "All I'm trying to say is don't be too hard on yourself. You didn't force them too to duel so you shouldn't have to deal with the repercussions. Be like Switzerland and stay neutral."

Despite everything, Maggie cracked a laugh, "Since when did you get so wise, little one?" She said playfully, nudging his shoulder. "I thought second-years were a little oblivious to the world around them."

"You'd seriously expect that from me?" Cedric smirked. "Come on, Maggie, give me some credit!"

The next few moments were filled with the pairs' chuckles until a stern glare from Madam Pince silenced the laughter. Cedric started packing away his books, explaining to Maggie that he had arranged to meet with his friends back in the common room. Once the young wizard had left, Maggie quickly felt his absence, finding that despite her initial annoyance, she had enjoyed his company.

That quickly changed, however.

Maggie was reviewing her essay on the correct brewing of Wolfsbane potion when she heard a low cough. Absent in her thoughts, Maggie looked up, slightly dazed though she quickly narrowed her eyes at the figure stood before her.

"Can we talk?" Charlie Weasley asked, his expression abash, and hands stuffed carelessly in his pockets.

Five minutes later found Maggie stood in an empty classroom on the fourth floor, her arms folded defensively and for once, a diffident Charlie Weasley stood across from her. She made sure to keep her expression even, not giving away a trace of her true feelings, though inside, Maggie was screaming.

"What do you want?" Maggie said, her tone prickly. She was fidgeting; pulling at her sleeves and tapping her foot, desperate to get out of the situation.

Charlie ran a hand through his hair, avoiding Maggie's stern gaze. He too seemed nervous but at that moment, Maggie did not care. As far as she was concerned, it was all his fault that they were in this situation.

"Look, I'm sorry about what happened, things just got out of hand," Charlie began but Maggie was quick to cut him off.

"It's not me you should be apologising to," She interrupted, her tone stony.

Charlie scoffed, "There is no chance in hell that I'll apologise to MacFarlan, he was the one who started it all!"

Maggie's eyes narrowed in anger, "It was two on one, how was that fair?" She demanded, taking a dangerous step towards Charlie. "Anyway, this isn't the first time you and Newberry have picked on him! Don't you remember your little 'start of term' prank that left Joe with his hair dyed pink for the day!"

"This isn't all on me!" Charlie exclaimed, his hands raised in defence. "Believe me, MacFarlan gives as much as he gets; you should have heard some of the things he was saying-"

"But you still hexed him! Madam Pomfrey says he needs to spend the rest of the week in the Hospital Wing after what you and Newberry did to him!"

"And you don't think Shaun's as bad as him?" Charlie argued back, his tone growing. "MacFarlan used some pretty serious hexes on us; it took Madam Pomfrey nearly two hours to stop my cheek from bleeding!" He motioned to the side of his face, where an angry red gash was still visible.

Internally, Maggie recoiled at the sight of the wound. Joe's hex had come as a shock to all involved; Maggie herself thought that he was too hurt to defend himself, but Joe still had that trick up his sleeve. When she had confronted him about it, all Joe had done was brush her off, saying that Weasley and Newberry were the wrong party in all of this and his actions were merely self-defence.

"He could barely walk by the time you two were through with him!" Maggie retorted, her eyes narrowing in anger as images flashed before her eyes.

"He was the one who started it!"

Though she tried her hardest to control her emotions, a flash of guilt surged through Maggie. Despite all the evidence to suggest that it was, in fact, Joe who had started the duel, Maggie did not want to believe it. If she did, it would mean that Joe outright lied to her face, something which she was woe to believe. Charlie must have noticed her momentary lapse, however, as he continued.

"See, you don't believe him!" He exclaimed, stepping closer towards Maggie. "He was the one who fired the first hex; Shaun and I only acted in defence! What does that say about MacFarlan? What do you even see in him?"

Anger surged through Maggie as his words trailed off. _How dare he say that! _Maggie's mind was in a spin but the only thing that emerged clearly from the chaos was Charlie's words, flashing at the forefront of her mind.

"What gives you the right to even say that?!" Maggie shouted, not caring who heard. "You have no right...no right, how dare you say that!"

Charlie realised he'd hit a sore spot as he quickly tried to backtrack, stumbling back from the angry witch.

"You have to understand Maggie, he was insulting my family-" He began but Maggie did not give him a chance to finish.

"'What do I see in him'? How is that any of your business?!" Maggie exclaimed, her face flushed with fury. She could feel her small frame shaking in anger but for once, made no effort to calm herself.

"I'm sorry -"

"What do you want from me, Weasley? Do you want me to admit that what happened was Joe's fault? Because from where I'm stood, you were the one who attacked him."

"Then tell your boyfriend to stop insulting my family, and maybe then I wouldn't hex him!" said Charlie harshly.

Maggie's eyes were like slits, dangerous and pointed as she took a step towards Charlie, her voice like a knife.

"You know what, Weasley? For a while, I actually thought you were alright. That maybe you had outgrown your arrogant, smug persona. But apparently, just because you don't walk around the castle, all high and mighty, anymore, doesn't mean that you're anything less than a hubristic pig!"

Maggie leaned down to grab her bookbag, swinging it up onto her shoulder. She rounded back on to Charlie, who wore an intimidated, somewhat scared expression, reminiscent to how he looked in first-year.

"I thought our relationship was worth more that it this; apparently it's worth thestrals' dung in your books," Maggie said, her tone dangerous low and calm. "You know, I think it would be best if we didn't see each other form now on. I'll partner with someone else in Care of Magical Creatures; someone who is actually worth a galleon."

Maggie was almost out the door when Charlie retorted.

"Why do you defend him like this?" Maggie had never heard Charlie use that tone before; quiet, staid and earnest. She turned to face him and found that his expression mirrored her own, one of pure anger.

"Why do you? He's not worth it!"

"Because he's my boyfriend!" Maggie exclaimed before storming out of the classroom, letting the door slam loudly in her wake


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note - It's another Saturday update! And a very merry Christmas to all who are reading this! To celebrate, here is a chapter that focuses on a new decade - three decades ago!**

**A lot of mixed feedback about the previous chapter, but just as a reminder, Maggie is a teenage girl and often misses the most obvious of feelings. At the moment, she is stuck between a rock and a hard place. It's tough being in that place - how can you choose between your boyfriend and a guy who saved your life? (Though in her defence, her relationship with Charlie is still relatively new.**

**But fear not! There is light on the horizon but I'm afraid we still have some of that dark night to venture through. I loved writing this chapter as it really expanded Maggie's family (hint - watch out for a familiar name!) and helped to build up the idea that she is essentially stuck between two worlds. I really wanted to incorporate this into the story as this is something that I feel many muggle-born characters would have to go through (after all, do you ever hear about Hermione's extended family?)**

**As a side note, I have a few fan-casts for people in this chapter as I sometimes find it easier to picture characters based on real-life actors/actresses. I would like to clarify that I do not own the right to any content that is not my own and am only using this as visual purposes. **

**Now that is over, I have always pictured Maggie being portrayed by either Lily James or Emilia Clarke as an adult and ****Sophie Nélisse as a child/teenager (think of the Book Thief, which is a great film/book that I would recommend to anyone). The only actor I can picture portraying Charlie Weasley is Sam Claflin (especially after seeing Me Before You, another great book) and Charlie Rowe as a Hogwarts-aged Charlie. William Ainsworth (Maggie's father) would be the incredibly talented Martian Freeman and Alex Kingston as Aunt Alexandra (who I am excited to introduce in this chapter!). Maggie's cousin Jack would be portrayed by Bradley James, who I loved during Merlin.**

**Let me know if you like these fan-casts and if you would be interested in hearing more (I may have planned my entire story around specific actors...).**

**A massive thank-you to those of you who have taken the time to comment or like this story; I am pleased to announce that we are up to 5000 views! So please, enjoy this chapter and get into the Christmas spirit - wherever you are, I hope you have a fantastic Christmas!**

* * *

_There are times in life when people must know when not to let go. Ballons are designed to teach small children this._

_\- **Terry Pratchett**_

* * *

_December 1990_

'_I light my torch and wave it for the New moon on Monday! And a fire dance through the night!'_

Maggie smiled as the song echoed through the pub; she'd been getting bored of her cousin's song selection and the Duran Duran track was a fresh change to his earlier choice of _'Funky-Town'_, which had already played three times that night. Across the room Maggie noticed Jack's frown. He stared over at her, no doubt wondering how she had managed to change the music despite being across the room from the jukebox, making Maggie's smirk widen.

Triumphantly, she discreetly slipped her wand back into her pocket; while Maggie knew she couldn't perform magic in front of Muggles, she had carefully ensured that no one had seen her little spell. A little magic wasn't a big deal, it was just a simple charm really and no one had been any the wiser. Happy with the turn of events, Maggie smiled widely, her eyes scanning the room for some company.

New Year's Eve in the Ainsworth family always followed the same pattern. The whole family would gather, usually in Maggie's home. That was partly because out of all of the family (however small it was), her home was the most accommodating. There was also the pub to consider; it opened for business on New Year's Eve as William could not afford to close on what was usually the busiest day of the whole year.

From the outside, this year was no different. The small family had gathered on Christmas Eve, enjoyed a relaxed Christmas dinner, and spent the remainder of the year together. The small flat above the pub was filled to the brim, especially this year, with the addition of Jack's girlfriend and newborn baby. While Maggie enjoyed having the family round, there was some irritation as it meant a lot of planning on where people would sleep.

This year, she'd ended up in the small spare room, as Jack and his family were sleeping in her father's room while her aging Grandma Nell and Aunt Alex were in Maggie's room. Her father, on the other hand, was sleeping in the living room, and despite Jack's protests, William insisted that he take his room. Aunt Arabella had declined the invitation this year, due to being under the weather, which worked out quite well as another person would have been tricky to accommodate.

"It's only for a week," William argued good-naturedly. "And anyway, it's nice to have this many people around; it's awfully quiet sometimes."

That statement had led to questions about Maggie and her schooling. While she answered as honestly as she could with a wide smile, part of the witch felt guilty about lying to her family. It was her grandmother especially, who Maggie felt guilty lying to; the elder woman had gone through a rough year as Maggie's Granddad Joe had passed away in the spring.

"Sometimes, I forget he's gone," Maggie had overheard Grandma Nell's voice one night, talking with her father and Aunt Alex. "I wake up and when I don't see him there, for a moment I think that he's downstairs in his chair," Her grandmother had paused for a moment. "I'm sorry, love. You of all people shouldn't have to listen to this."

"It's ok, Mum," said William's voice quietly as Maggie's stomach knotted. "I understand. You know, you're always welcome here."

Maggie looked down dejectedly as the thoughts echoed through her mind. In the months since her husband's passing, her grandmother's health had been slowly deteriorating. She seemed to have aged ten years in the past six months and she was slowly becoming more forgetful, having called Maggie 'Alexandra' a few times.

"Enjoying the party, sweetheart?"

Maggie smiled as her Aunt Alex appeared beside her, a cheeky smirk pulled across her lips. Christmas was one of the few times Maggie saw her Aunt, as the elder woman was usually away working; her job as a historian kept Alex busy. Maggie enjoyed her company however, finding her playful nature a stark contrast to her father's quiet personality.

It was a family joke that Maggie was often labelled 'Alexandra's daughter' as over the years, Maggie had adopted some of Alex's traits, while her son, Jack, picked up William's mannerisms. Maggie's wild hair was also inherited from Alex, though was not quite as unruly as her Aunt's.

"Of course I am," Maggie said, taking a sip of her drink. "I just wish Jack would stop playing cheesy songs; he knows I hate '_New Kids on the Block'_."

Alex chuckled at Maggie's remark. "You know, he'll have done it to wind you up," She said before grabbing a bottle of champagne and topping up both her own and Maggie's glasses. "Don't tell your Dad. You're nearly eighteen so no one will mind but you're still a little girl in his mind."

"He still thinks of me in pigtails," Maggie added, taking a sip of the wine. "I swear, he'll have a fit when I finish school in June."

Alex laughed. "It's crept up on him quickly. It seems as though it was only yesterday that you started school."

"It's flown by," said Maggie, shrugging her shoulders. "I don't know where the times' gone; it does feel like I only just started."

"What are your plans when you finish?" asked Alex, her voice curious as she looked over to where William was stood behind the bar. "Your dad said something about studying medicine?"

"Yeah, something like that," Maggie nodded her head, trying to avoid Alex's probing glance. "I've been accepted onto a programme in London that starts in the summer, providing I get the grades, that is."

Alex placed a gentle hand on Maggie's shoulder. "I know you will," She said in encouragement as she patted the girl's shoulder. "You've got the brains, you always have. You just need a bit of confidence in yourself."

Maggie barked out a dry laugh. "That'll be the day."

"Believe me, I know you'll get there," said Alex softly. "Look at how far you've come; going to that school's been the making of you," Maggie raised an eyebrow in question and Alex smiled. "You may not believe it, but you've come out of your shell since you started there.

We were worried when you first left. You were never one for making friends and both me and your dad were worried about you. But that first letter you wrote home? I think it settled your dad's nerves completely. And when you came home at Christmas? I was convinced you were a different person. I'd never heard you talk so much, not that it was a bad thing."

Alex paused, considering her next words. Maggie continued to stare at her aunt, in a mixture of curiosity and confusion.

"It's done you the world of good, Maggie, going to that school," Alex said, a small, reminiscent smile gracing her lips. "I can honestly say, we are all so proud of the young woman you've become."

After her speech and a hug, Alex left to find Jack's girlfriend, Nina, who was upstairs with the baby. As she left in a blaze of wild curls and chatter – 'I want cuddles with my new grandchild!' – Alex shot a proud smile towards William, who was stood behind the bar. This was not missed by Maggie, who studied the exchange with a careful glance.

Feeling the need for someone to talk to, Maggie headed in the direction of her cousin, who was stood near to their grandmother. Jack was proudly showing off baby photos of baby Thomas to anyone nearby. Maggie shot him a wide grin as she appeared next to him, taking the photograph and chuckling at it.

"Poor thing, he's got your nose," She teased, causing Jack to guffaw heartily.

"Then he's got the best nose there is!" He exclaimed, throwing an arm over Maggie's shoulder. "With any chance, he's gets our good looks too!"

Maggie chuckled before moving to sit next to Grandma Nell, who offered her a kind smile. The older woman took Maggie's hand in her own and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"I miss you when you're away dear," She said softly, her smile flickering for a moment.

"I'll be finished in six months, Gran, it's not too long," Maggie replied, hoping to reassure the woman. "I'll be home soon."

Her Grandma gently shook her head. "You'll do great things, I know you will," She said, avoiding Maggie's statement. "I just wish I could stay to see it."

Maggie frowned, "Grandma, what are you talking about?"

"I don't think I have long left in this world," Grandma Nell said, dropping her gaze. "Since your Grandad passed, I've been getting weaker. I can feel it in my bones, my age catching up with me. Now, don't you get upset," She added, noticing Maggie's shocked expression. "We all have a time, and mine is coming. Besides, I'll be with your Grandad."

"But Gran, you can't go," Maggie's voice was barely above a murmur, as she fought to hold back her tears.

Grandma Nell patted Maggie's hand with a sad smile. "Don't cry, dear. I've had a good life. A hard one, at times, but it was worth it," She looked up, locking gaze with Maggie. "If there's one thing the war taught me, then it's faith. Those years were some of the hardest; waiting for news, any news about your Grandad. But I kept the faith and he came back to me. Remember that, love, have faith. The ones we love always come back to us, you'll see that in the future."

"Gran," Maggie whispered, the words on the edge of her tongue. The Statute of Wizarding Secrecy be damned, her Gran needed to know the truth! "The school I go to...it's not like other schools," She paused, searching her Grandmother's eyes. "It's a school for magic...I'm a witch."

Grandma Nell gave a dry chuckle. "Maggie, I've always known there was something different about you. I'm not too shocked; surprised maybe? Yes. But there's always been something special about you. Your mother had a touch of it too. I pleased you told me, at least when I go, I can pass with the knowledge that you'll be okay."

Maggie rested her head on her grandmother's shoulder, feeling comforted by the woman's presence. Her breathing slowly evened out as her eyes scanned the room. Her grandmother's words echoed around her mind but strangely enough, she felt at peace; the knowledge that everything would be okay consoled Maggie.

"Five, four!" People began to chant, all eyes on the clock as the final seconds of the year ticked to an end. "Three, two, one... Happy New Year!"

The pub interrupted into cheers as the clock chimed twelve, ringing in the new year. Someone started throwing confetti as balloons were released, floating around the room in celebration.

"_Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind_?" Someone started singing and people were quick to join in. "_Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and auld lang syne?"_

Jack was quick to grab Maggie's arm, dragging the witch to her feet. Laughing, Maggie took Jack's hand and motioned to her Grandmother, who offered Maggie her hand with a smile. Across the room, Maggie saw her father stood with Aunt Alex, happily singing away.

Maggie quickly joined in, singing in celebration as she thought of her years at Hogwarts. With her upcoming graduation, she was nervous about the future, but there was something about her grandmother's words that calmed her nerves.

"_For auld lang syne, my jo, for auld lang syne. We'll take a cup o' kindness yet, for auld lang syne_!"

* * *

_February 1991_

When Maggie didn't appear for Care of Magical Creatures, Charlie knew something was amiss.

Despite their major argument a few months earlier, the red-headed wizard still sought Maggie out at every opportunity. While he didn't necessarily approach her, the sight of her comforted Charlie, and added to the knowledge that she was okay.

If Charlie had to guess, he had truly started liking Maggie at some point in fifth year. While he had spent the earlier years of Hogwarts trying to impress her - at some points, going out of his way to catch her attention - it was during his fifth year when he realised that he had to grow up if he had a hippogriff in hell's chance of catching her attention.

Fifth-year had highlighted just how much he needed to mature; no more going out of his way to draw her attention. Instead of his carefree, mischievous attitude, he'd looked to Bill for guidance.

Before immediately regretting that decision.

In fairness, Bill had helped Charlie sort out his attitude, or at least, the way he needed to approach Maggie. By assigning them together for their prefect rounds, Bill had surehandedly provided plenty of opportunities for Charlie to speak to Maggie. In theory, Charlie's idea had been simple; don't be a prat and impress the girl. From his perspective, things were going great! He'd kept a low profile and hadn't done anything too ostentatious.

Then, the infamous Quidditch match occurred and squashed whatever hopes Charlie had.

That had been a hard week for Charlie, having to keep looking over his shoulder to avoid any vengeful Hufflepuffs. He had tried to sneak into the Hospital Wing to apologise to Maggie – no matter what anyone said, he did not do it on purpose – but had found Maggie peacefully asleep. He hadn't wanted to disturb her (part of him was scared she'd hex him) so Charlie settled on picking up her book that had fallen to the floor and gently placed it on the nightstand.

The following week was worse though. Charlie still had nightmares about the wicked glint in Scaboir's eye and Maggie's lifeless body lying in a pool of blood. While the circumstances had been heinous and macabre, the dynamics of Charlie and Maggie's relationship begun to change from that point onwards.

She would no longer greet him with a glare, instead would offer a polite smile. He would no longer went out of his way to garner her attention, but rather, focused on his schoolwork and volunteered in class. Both Maggie and Charlie changed after Scaboir's attack and perhaps it was just Charlie's delusion, but they began to interact more.

Charlie's best friend dating Maggie's friend had spurred that on as well. The two were often forced to interact in social situations and while Maggie would try to avoid him, Charlie noticed their interactions to be a lot more civil. Because of this, the pair found themselves partnering up in class when they started their NEWTs, feeling more comfortable around one another.

During their sixth year, Charlie genuinely started to feel hopeful. Maggie could actually stand the sight of him, something he thought would never be possible. He'd walk to Care of Magical Creatures feeling elated, ecstatic at the knowledge that Maggie would actually speak to him. At this point, she was dating MacFarlan though and while this put a downer on things, Charlie was happy in the knowledge that he'd fostered some sort of relationship with her.

And then, life had royally fucked him over.

It was bad enough that Maggie was dating Joe MacFarlan, who was something akin to Charlie's mortal enemy. As petty as it sounded, that's what it was. Charlie and MacFarlan were constantly vying against each other for something; whether it be who was the better Quidditch Player, who became Head Boy or even who had Maggie's attention.

While Charlie clearly won the first (in his opinion, that was), he was failing at the latter two. Head Boy was a forgotten dream, that had always been Bill's persona more than Charlie's, but the last was the one he was most disappointed in.

Charlie tried to move on, really, he had! But every girl he dated seemed to be lacking something. It wasn't until Bill had pointed it out, did Charlie realised; they weren't Maggie. He wanted to curse himself for being a lovestruck fool and as hard as he tried to work around the problem, Charlie could not help but remain stuck on Maggie.

In the end, he did give up. Maggie and MacFarlan had been going strong for nearly two years so Charlie could kiss goodbye whatever shot he once had. Slowly, he'd came to terms with the knowledge. He recalled a quote he'd noticed in some muggle book he'd once scanned through; if you love someone, set them free.

Charlie had done just that. But he'd forgotten one thing; Joe MacFarlan was a prat.

Charlie did not go out of his way to pick a fight with someone, or to even hex anyone. But MacFarlan knew just how to get under Charlie's skin, which words to mutter to get a rise out of him. It was a bleak day before the Christmas holidays when Charlie found himself being coldly rejected by Maggie over something he didn't even start.

Part of him was angry with her; he considered Maggie a friend and for her to rebuff him so easily in favour of MacFarlan was infuriating and made Charlie wonder what he ever saw in the girl. But another part of him was in pain; of course, Maggie would pick MacFarlan over him, she was his girlfriend! If anything, that was the harshest blow.

Charlie had come to regret his words that day, as it had cost more than what it was worth. Hexing MacFarlan seemed like the right thing to do at the time, but the aftermath was bitter. He'd ended up back in square one, lonely and dejected.

MacFarlan still had it coming, mind you. He knew the right words to chink under Charlie's skin and that day, he had been ruthless. Charlie tried his hardest to ignore him, but it had been so bloody hard listening to MacFarlan insult him and his family! Whatever words Charlie had retorted with escaped him, but they must have been good because MacFarlan resorted to hexing.

Thank Merlin that Shaun had been there; Charlie shuddered to think what could have happened if his best mate had headed to Muggle Studies early. Despite not showing it, MacFarlan was ruthless when it came to hexes. Charlie still bore a small scratch from the duel, his wound on his cheek was slow to heal, despite Madam Pomfrey and his mother's best attempts. There had been a large enough crowd to collaborate with his defence that it was MacFarlan who shot the first spell, but the only person Charlie wanted to accept it, refused to.

Their argument in the empty classroom became an all-time low point for Charlie. True to Maggie's word, she barely spared him so much as a glance in the corridor and was quick to swap partners in class. In hindsight, it was probably an ill-conceived idea to insult Maggie's boyfriend when said boyfriend was in the Hospital Wing. But Charlie hated MacFarlan with such a passion, all rationality left his mind during that conversation.

In truth, he missed his haphazard friendship with Maggie. Care of Magical Creatures wasn't the same, as no one else in the class shared the same enthusiasm as Maggie did. Even his prefect rounds were lonely; though her rounds differed now that she was Head Girl, Maggie would often check up on him from time to time.

He missed her presence, so when she didn't appear in Care of Magical Creatures, Charlie noticed her absence immediately. Professor Kettleburn did not comment on Maggie's non-appearance, which made Charlie worry. The class2 seemed to drag as Charlie waited for lunch, his foot tapping with nervous energy. Albert would know what must have happened. Louisa would have undoubtedly told him.

After what seemed like the longest class Charlie had ever experienced (excluding potions), Professor Kettleburn finally dismissed them. Charlie did not waste a second, grabbing his bag and darting out of the classroom. The cold February weather had meant class had been relocated inside, but for once, Charlie did not mind as it meant less running.

He made a beeline for the Great Hall, where he was certain Albert would be. Sure enough, he was sat at the Gryffindor table, alongside Shaun, absently studying some revision notes as he ate. Charlie collapsed on the bench opposite, earning annoyed glares from students sat further down. Albert and Shaun both looked at Charlie in confusion.

"Has your sister said anything about Maggie today? She wasn't in class!" Charlie exclaimed.

Shaun barked out an amused laugh before going back to his shepherd's pie. Albert, one the other hand, remained calm-faced, his eyes flicking back down to his revision cards.

"I haven't seen Louisa since last night," said Albert, his eyes never leaving his notes. "Ainsworth wasn't in Magical Creatures? That's strange."

"Exactly what I thought," Charlie said as he piled food onto his plate. "She never misses a lesson, no matter what!"

"Maybe she's ill? Gone to get a pepper-up potion from Madam Pomfrey?" Shaun suggested, between bites of his food. Charlie shook his head.

"Nah, she'd wait until break time. She never misses lessons."

Shaun chuckled. "Stalker," He teased, earning a glare from Charlie.

"You know it's not like that!" He argued in defence. "I'm just worried about her, that's all!"

"Even after she basically told you go get lost?" Shaun said, his lips pulling into a smirk. "You, my friend, have it bad."

"Yeah, Charlie, she's only one girl," Albert added sincerely. "We're just thinking about you; we don't want your heart to get broken again."

"Especially not after the scene you made last time," Shaun muttered under his breath.

Charlie blushed at what Shaun was referring to; the completely trashed dormitory Shaun and Albert had walked into after Charlie's argument with Maggie.

"I just want to know that she's okay," Charlie confessed, lowering his voice so only the three could hear. "Please, Albert, I need to know."

Albert sighed. "I'll find out for tonight."

The day continued to drag as Charlie anxiously waited for Albert's news. He had pounced upon Albert after Charms (yet another class Maggie had missed) but it earned Charlie nothing but an annoyed glare from his fellow Gryffindor. Even dinner dragged, though Fred and George's attempts to prank the teachers were hilarious and offered the wizard a brief distraction.

It wasn't until they were sat in the Gryffindor common room that night that Albert returned with news. Despite his eagerness, Charlie was absorbed in a Care of Magical Creatures' textbook when Albert arrived. The sandy blonde-haired wizard motioned for Charlie to follow him up to their room before Charlie could even ask a question.

"How is she?" Charlie asked before Albert had a chance to even close the door. Albert rolled his eyes as he set his belongings down on the bed before turning to face Charlie.

"Louisa says something's happened at home. She wasn't too sure, but she thinks Maggie's Grandmother passed away," Albert explained slowly, watching the words register on Charlie's expression. "She's gone home for a few days, the funeral's tomorrow I think."

Charlie gave a brief nod, carefully processing Albert's words. "Thanks mate," He said, patting Albert's shoulder.

That night, Charlie briefly wondered whether he should write a letter to Maggie, but he quickly decided against the idea. Chances were Maggie would burn it on sight. As he lay in bed that night, he could only imagine what hurt Maggie was going through and wished there were some way he could comfort here.

Maggie returned to school a few days later, her hair back to the familiar shade of blonde and a hardened look in her eye. Tonks and Louisa flanked her that morning at breakfast, and Charlie noticed how they were almost encouraging Maggie to eat. In the days since he'd last seen her, Maggie appeared more haggard, her cheeks thinner and despite it returning to its natural colour, her hair seemed dull and dry.

The sight of Joe MacFarlan sat by Maggie's side during dinner, comforting her made Charlie want to hex the living daylights out of him but he restrained himself. His mind turned rational for a moment and reasoned that despite Charlie's hatred of him, Maggie needed MacFarlan at that moment.

Over the next week, Charlie noticed a stark difference in Maggie. She appeared less bubbly, almost more reserved than usual. Though Charlie reasoned he was still grieving, it disturbed him to see Maggie so quiet. During a Transfiguration class, he could have sworn he saw Maggie sniffling and wiping away a tear, though Tonks was quick to cause a distraction.

Even if their friendship had ended, Charlie still wanted to do something to cheer Maggie up. It took him a while and a lot of deep thought, but he finally came up with an idea. It was simple enough, but Charlie hoped that the gesture would be appreciated. He made sure it was anonymous though; Charlie knew full well that Maggie would refuse anything from him after their argument and he did not want to make matters worse.

He subtly slipped it into Maggie's satchel during Potions class. The class gave him an excuse to walk around without arousing suspicion and there were plenty of others in the class to provide plenty of distraction. That night at dinner, his gaze barely left Maggie, nervous in anticipation as he waited for her to discover the present.

He did not have to wait long for as soon as Maggie had sat down, she immediately fished in her bag for a book. Her eyes narrowed in confusion as she no doubt felt the foreign object before pulling it out of the bag. Charlie could not help but smile as Maggie admired the sketch drawing of a Thestral. While Charlie had never seen one in person, there were plenty of sketches of the creatures in the library textbooks - the idea having come to him after recalling an earlier conversation they had in fifth-year.

Maggie gave a small smile as she stared at the drawing, and from across the room, Charlie saw her eyes shine with tears. For a moment, Charlie regretted the entire thing, wishing he had never had the stupid idea in the first place. All he had done was make the situation worse!

But then, Maggie turned to Tonks with a small smile and motioned to the drawing. Tonks' eyes grew wide as she marvelled at the drawing before turning to face Maggie in question. Maggie shrugged an answer before returning her gaze to the drawing, letting her finger trace over the detail. She pulled a leather-bound book from her bag and carefully placed the drawing insider, so as not to crease it.

For the rest of the week, Charlie was elated. He had cheered Maggie up. In his mind, it was one step closer to earning back her friendship.


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's note - Merry Christmas! I hope wherever you were, you had a lovely, festive day! Just to let you all know, updates may be a bit sparse in the next few weeks; with Christmas and New Year, I haven't had the time to write so I'll be taking a short break until January. **

**Not much feedback on the last chapter - I hope it wasn't that bad! This chapter ties up the Hogwarts saga, and as an added bonus, there are a few cameos in this chapter! Extra points if you can spot what - I based part of this chapter of the actual Harry Potter books so eagle-eyed readers should be able to spot the section that inspired me!**

**There are also a few clues here about Maggie's maternal family, which is something that'll play a big role later in the story! Also, an extra helping of Charlie Weasley because why not! He'll be taking a break for a few chapters and there'll be some time jumps throughout the following chapters but for those of you who read my original story, you'll understand the suspense!**

**I've babbled enough now so I'll let you go - don't forget to favourite and review! Make the start to the new decade magical!**

* * *

_All major religious traditions carry basically the same message; that is love, compassion and forgiveness, the important thing is they should be part of our daily lives._

_\- **Dalai Lama**_

* * *

_June 1991_

"So this is it, then," Eddie said, his tone low and somber as he took a swig of firewhiskey before passing the bottle to Adam, "Our last ever night in Hogwarts."

The small group was silent as they all deliberated the wizard's words, a heavy atmosphere falling over the room. Maggie was grateful that it was only them in the common room, as interference from younger years would have made their moods worse. From her comfy spot on the floor, propped against an armchair, Maggie's eyes flicked around the small groups as she stared at her companions.

To her left sat Louisa, perched on the sofa. The young witch was due to start working at _Witch Weekly_ in a few weeks' time; she'd secured a job as a Junior Copywriter and had spent the last month ecstatic over the prospect. Maggie had no doubt that Louisa was perfect for that job, she just about inhaled the words of the magazine page every time she read it and was the biggest gossip-monger Maggie knew.

Next to Louisa was Eddie, and as usual, Adam was sat on the young wizard's other side. Similar to Maggie and Tonks, the pair were usually inseparable, which was why the news dealt came as a shock. While Eddie had gotten a job in the Ministry (_Department of Magical Games and Sports_), Adam's new job working in International Magical Cooperation meant that the wizard would be moving to New York to work in the _MACUSA_ as British Liaison Officer.

They had all been over-the-moon with joy when Adam announced the news; the Department rarely took on someone barely out of Hogwarts and even rarer gave them such a significant job. Out of the group, Adam was moving furthest away, something that hung over all their mind and while they were all pleased for him, the knowledge that he would be in another country had a bitter aftereffect.

Kevin wasn't moving too far away, however. Similar to Eddie, he would also be working for the Ministry in Muggle Relations, something Kevin would be perfect at doing. A muggle-born like Maggie, Kevin could effortlessly step from Muggle to Magical world without batting an eyelid and his easy-going nature was ideal for that environment.

After Kevin, Maggie's eyes flickered up to Tonks. The Metamorphmagus was sat in the armchair Maggie leaned against, her hand absently resting on Maggie's hair. Maggie smiled when she thought about Tonks' happiness when the letter arrived, informing Tonks that she had been accepted onto the Auror programme. For as long as Maggie could remember, her fellow witch had dreamed of becoming an Auror, making it her life's ambition. Maggie knew that Tonks' parents weren't the keenest on the idea of their daughter duelling dark wizards, but Maggie knew that if anyone could do it, then her best friend could.

Which only left Maggie.

In truth, the prospect of leaving Hogwarts terrified Maggie; after seven years, Hogwarts was all she knew. She had little experience in the wizarding world, save for holidays and school so Maggie was at a loss on what to expect. To her relief, Tonks agreed to rent a flat in Muggle London with Maggie as both girls wanted to experience life in both the Magical and the Muggle world. The witches had spent the better part of the Easter holidays scouring Muggle London for the perfect (affordable) place until at last, they managed to find a cosy, two-bedroomed loft in Camden. The property was cheap enough and meant that both girls could walk to work – on nice days, it would seem pointless to apparate.

Not only that, but the two witches had planned to go travelling over the summer, reasoning that it would be one of the few chances they would get to go. Their bucket list was vaguely assembled and patchy to say the very least, but between them, the witches had a plan.

The bottle of firewhiskey reached Maggie and she took it from Tonks with a melancholic smile. Her thoughts were jumbled, not from the alcohol mind you, and as she pressed the bottle to her lips for a sip, her thoughts erupted.

Maggie would be lying if she said she didn't feel guilty when she told her father of her plans. Deep down, she always knew she wouldn't move back home after Hogwarts, but admitting it was another thing. Despite her worries, her father understood her decision, and William had encouraged Maggie to fly free. If anything, the knowledge that Maggie could apparate home at any point also helped, though it cheered Maggie to know that she could pop home frequently.

Her acceptance letter was tucked away in her carefully packed case, hidden away from the outside world. As silly as it sounded, Maggie would occasionally read over it, giddy with excitement at the prospect of starting. It seemed unreal – seven years at Hogwarts had passed by in the blink of an eye. Maggie still felt like the nervous little first year, anxious in a new world.

Only now, she was a nervous eighteen-year-old about to step into the real world.

Maggie handed the bottle to Louisa before she looked down at her watch. She sighed when she noticed the time and slowly rose to her feet, her back cracking in discomfort.

"I've got my rounds," Maggie said, her tone low as the group stared up at her.

Adam chuckled. "Even on our last night, you still have to be responsible," He teased, and the group erupted into laughter.

"Got to set a good example for next year," said Maggie with a smirk. "And anyway, it's one last excuse for a late-night wander without the prospect of detention. Anyone care to join me?"

A chorus of 'no's' sounded from the small group, as Tonks let out a loud laugh.

"You say that Mags, but you know Snape won't be that lenient if we get caught!"

Maggie found herself smirking. "What's Snape going to do? Give us detention in our last twelve hours at Hogwarts?"

The corridors of Hogwarts Castle seemed smaller than when she had first arrived, though Maggie reasoned it was because she herself had grown. There was a different feeling however; a somber tone that hung in the air. Combined with the knowledge that it was unlikely she would step foot in Hogwarts ever again, Maggie's heart grew heavy and doleful.

Her melancholic mood somehow guided her feet until Maggie paused, snapping out of her ambivalent thoughts as she realised where she stood. The fourth-floor corridor was empty – it was after curfew – but the air grew heavy as Maggie stared down the staircase, her eyes fixated on the flagstones. Memories and emotions flew through her mind, unclear and unfocused, but they all centered around that one day.

As she sat perched on the staircase, her eyes still staring at the spot, Maggie didn't see the figure approaching from behind until he sat next to her, though he did not say a word. Strangely enough, his presence comforted Maggie and the witch found herself smiling.

"I sometimes think about that day, you know?" She softly began, her voice barely higher than a whisper. "As stupid as it sounds, I sometimes think; what would have happened if I just kept my mouth shut?"

"He would have done something eventually," Charlie replied in a low, thoughtful tone. "Maybe not to you, but he would have attacked someone eventually. Just so happens that it was you."

Maggie gave a faint nod. "I suppose it's better that it was me then, instead of some little first year. He was vicious, he could have killed someone."

"He nearly did."

A sigh escaped Maggie's lips as her eyes flickered over to where Charlie sat. a wave of guilt washed over Maggie's mind, suddenly feeling extremely awkward. This was the first time she had spoken to Charlie in over six months, having avoided him since their argument in November. It had been hard, to say the least. Part of Maggie felt guilty and idiotic for doing so, people were entitled to their opinions after all.

The other half of Maggie still wanted to punch Charlie for his comments about Joe.

In the end, Maggie knew that she was somewhat in the wrong; as much as she didn't want to believe it, Joe had started the fight and Charlie only reacted in retaliation. But Maggie loved Joe, so she'd been in the awkward position of choosing between her boyfriend and her (reluctant) friendship with Charlie.

So instead, she'd taken the easy option and ignored it all. By breaking friendship with Charlie, Maggie thought she would spare herself some hurt, but Maggie found that she missed his company. Over the six months in which they had avoided one another, Maggie found it difficult to do so, often forgetting about the fight. She would move to speak to him, only to remember at the last moment and quickly withdraw. In truth, the whole practice was draining.

The situation put before her was ideal. Maggie did not want Charlie to leave thinking that she hated him; at one point, she did consider him a friend. To throw it all away over something she had no part in seemed silly. Maggie wanted to leave Hogwarts with a clear conscience, and there was only one path that would ensure this.

"I'm sorry," said Maggie, her gaze darting away, trying to avoid Charlie's eye. "I've been a complete bitch, I shouldn't have spoken to you like that."

"It's not your fault," Charlie murmured, staring down at his clenched together hands. "I was being a prat. "

Maggie shook her head. "I know it was Joe who started the fight. I didn't believe you."

Charlie shrugged, a dry smile appearing across his lips. "He's your boyfriend, I wouldn't ask you to choose between us."

"But still, I should have believed you. Or, at least, not have a go at you," Maggie said in a small voice.

"You had your reasons. And anyway, I shouldn't have retaliated like that," said Charlie, before looking over at Maggie. "I am sorry for what I said, you know?

"I forgive you; you were angry," Maggie said quietly, still staring down at the flagstones. "I'm sorry too."

Charlie let out a small chuckle. "I think that's the first time I've heard you apologise," He joked, lightening the atmosphere.

"Is not!" Maggie exclaimed, her lips quirking into a smile. "I'm always apologising for something!"

"Let me rephrase that; the first time you've apologised to me," Charlie chuckled.

Maggie pondered the statement for a moment before shrugging. "Okay, you've got me there," She admitted, brushing a strand of hair away from her face. "Regardless of that though, I still want to thank you again."

Charlie frowned, his eyebrows knitted in confusion. "Thank me for what?" He asked, and Maggie turned to face the wizard, her brown eyes locking with his.

"You saved my life," She stated, raising a hand as he protested. "Please, let me say this. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be here today. No one would have known what Scaboir had done, and chances are, by the time someone would have found me, I'd probably have bled out by then.

"I think about it sometimes; what could have happened. And it's because of you that I can. Do I regret saying those things to Scaboir? Merlin, no! Even if I was back in the same position, I'd probably do the same.

"I think...the point I'm trying to get at here, is thank you. I don't think I could even begin to describe how grateful I am, so instead, I'll say this. I'm sorry for being such a bitch and treating you like shit. It was wrong of me, and believe me when I say, I am sorry, Charlie Weasley," Maggie's speech trailed off slowly, the young witch not knowing what to say next. Instead, she looked over at the wizard, who wore a small smile.

"Thank you for that," He said slowly. "And I just want to say; I'm sorry too for the way I treated you. I was mad, I shouldn't have said what I said."

A small smile crept to Maggie's lips. "How about we both stop apologising to each other and move on?"

Charlie gave a loud bark of laughter. "I'm willing to if you will," He said, a crooked smirk pulling at his mouth.

"So, Romania?" said Maggie with a wide smile. Charlie gave a good-natured shrug.

"Best place to study dragons," He commented, chuckling as he did. "Bill went to Egypt, so I had to outdo that. Romania's not quite as far but it's still something."

"Definitely something," Maggie agreed. "What did your parents make of that when you told them?"

Charlie winced slightly. "Don't, Mum's still furious," He said, and Maggie laughed. "Laugh all you want; my mother is not the sort of woman you want to annoy. I swear, she threatened to glue my arse to the kitchen table when I told her."

Despite everything, Maggie found herself howling with laughter at the thought. Charlie joined in, chuckling at the anecdote and shaking his head as he did.

"And I thought my Dad was overprotective," Maggie said between laughs. "Seriously though?"

"Seriously," Charlie said, with a mock-glum expression. "She tried to guilt-trip me; starting asking if she was such a bad mum because all of her kids were moving away."

"But you have five younger siblings?"

Charlie shrugged. "That's Mum for you. Honestly, she's like a cosseting Occamy trying to protect her eggs."

"And I thought my Dad overacted when I told him I was moving to London," Maggie said with a small smile. "He threatened to lock me in my room but didn't consider that I could just apparate out. It's funny how he forgets about magic."

"My Dad would love to see a Muggle house, he's amazed at how electricity works," said Charlie with a chuckle. "So, London?"

"London," Maggie laughed in reply.

"Healer's course isn't it?"

"Yep," Maggie nodded. "I start in September. Never thought I'd get in if I'm honest but it somehow worked out."

"So, I know who to come to with my dragon burns?" Charlie joked, and the pair burst into laughter once more.

"Sure, I'll keep a bed open for you. Good luck flying from Romania though."

The conversation fell silent, though the atmosphere was not awkward. Maggie's eyes gazed around the room, enjoying the silence and Charlie's presence. There was no need for words as both witch and wizard sat calmly, enjoying their last few hours in Hogwarts.

Though Maggie did not want it to end, she noticed the time displayed on her wristwatch and sighed. It was slowly approaching midnight and despite being Head Girl (and it being the last day of term), Maggie knew that if they did not head back to their respective common rooms, the pair would get into trouble.

"Good luck, Weasley," She said as they both rose to their feet, brushing away the dust from their robes. "Try not to let any dragons eat you, I don't fancy going to Romania for your funeral. Or post-mortem."

Charlie barked out a laugh. "Thanks for that Ainsworth," He said shaking his head. "Anyway, I'm not the one who has to watch out; Merlin help the wizarding world if you're the one healing them!"

Maggie gave a wide smile. "I'll have you know Weasley, I've been healing Tonks for years and she's alright!" At Charlie's pointed stare, she laughed. "Okay, she may not be completely right, but that part's not on me!"

"I stand by my statement; Merlin help with wizarding world with you as a healer and Tonks as an Auror," Charlie smirked. Maggie shook her head, sending the wizard a playful glare.

"I resent that statement - the wizarding world won't know what hit them," She laughed.

For a moment, she paused. In years to come, Maggie still did not know what came over her that day or what possessed her to do what she did (she reasoned it was the aftereffect of the Firewhiskey she'd drank earlier). A subconscious part of her mind broke through, urging Maggie to do what she did next.

Standing on her tiptoes (Tonks was right, she really was a midget), Maggie leaned up and pressed a small kiss to Charlie's cheek. In her mind, it was a simple gesture, combining all of her gratefulness and apologies in one fell swoop.

"See you around, Weasley" Maggie said with a smile, as she turned and skipped down the hallway, leaving a for-once, caught off guard Weasley, surprised and shocked in her wake.

* * *

_To Dad,_

_Bonjour from Paris! Just came back from sightseeing – the weather is so lovely. Tonks and I have seen all the sights, and maybe a few wine bars too! Just kidding, we only had a few. You know Nymph's a bad drunk so didn't want to deal with that. _

_We met up with Aunt Alex, Merlin that woman can shop! Don't worry, I made sure she didn't by the whole shop (she came close, mind you). I've sent a few photos of me and Tonks up the Eiffel Tower – this was before she tried to push me over! Turns out, the French don't appreciate Tonks' humour. _

_We haven't killed each other so things are going well!_

_Love, _

_Maggie_

* * *

_Dear Dad,_

_Happy Birthday from Andorra! Hopefully Gatsby can manage carrying your present, the poor thing's getting on a bit. Enjoy the whiskey, I know you've wanted to try it for ages!_

_We went skiing today. I don't think it for me though. I enjoyed it but for the most part, it was the ski instructor telling me how not to break my neck (Tonks found this hilarious). I think I'll stick to less action-packed sports, although I'll be able to heal any injures I get soon!_

_Give Pepper a big hug from me!_

_Love, Maggie_

* * *

_To Dad,_

_Hola from Barcelona! I'm as red as a tomato from the sunburn; turns out, you still need sun cream when it's overcast. I won't be making that mistake again!_

_Tonks says hello, by the way. She's already managed to fall into the Montjuïc foundation; the locals weren't too pleased with her! Believe it or not, she was stone-cold sober (though she wasn't by the end of the night, I think it was to overcome the embarrassment). _

_We took your advice and went to some of the art galleries. They were beautiful. Sent a few more photos, the third one is of me and Tonks in front of the Sagrada Familia, what a sight!_

_Off to Amsterdam next, then back home. Hope you haven't missed me too much!_

_Love, Maggie_

* * *

_July 1991_

"Auntie, be careful! Do you want to break your other leg?" Maggie exclaimed as she hurried forward, her hands resting on the elder woman's shoulders in support.

The older woman waved away her niece's concerns. "I'm fine, Magnolia, honestly! You'd think it was serious, the way you're going on!"

"It is serious, Auntie Arabella," Maggie protested, still guiding her Aunt across the pavement. "Your leg is broken, it won't heal overnight!"

_Well, it could if you got her some Skele-Grow, _the thought circled around Maggie's mind before she'd even realised. She quickly shook it away; _people would ask how a pensioner's broken leg magically healed overnight! _Maggie bitterly pushed the thought away from her mind, but the sentiment still lingered. What good was being a witch when she couldn't help her family?

Distracted by her thoughts, Maggie did not notice the figure barrelling towards her until it almost collided with her. She barely had time to jump out of the way before a racing bike tore past, knocking Aunt Arabella to the ground. Crying out in shock, Maggie hurried over to where her Aunt had fallen, collapsed in a pile on the floor. She helped the elder lady to her feet and once Maggie was sure that the pensioner was alright, she turned her attention to the figure on the bike, who was still racing down the pavement.

"Oi!" Maggie shouted, storming over to where a rather beefy child had stopped his bike. In her blaze of anger, Maggie couldn't help but notice how closely the boy resembled a pig; she couldn't help the thought as it flashed through her mind but his plump figure and dull-witted, almost doltish, expression screamed the word.

"Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?" Maggie exclaimed, throwing her arm back to point to where her Aunt stood, clutching her stick for support. "You could have seriously hurt her; did you even look where you were going?"

The boy continued to stare at Maggie with a blank expression, but there was a sour undertone in his piggy little eyes. Maggie felt her anger rise at this; what was wrong with this kid?

Her arms folded across her chest, Maggie stared down at the boy. "Well? Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

"Dudders!" A shout sounded from behind.

Both Maggie and the boy turned to see a woman stood in the doorway of a house, staring at the pair in question. She quickly hurried over, her expression tight. Maggie almost sighed in relief at the sight of the woman; she was the boy's mother, and would no doubt be able to talk some sense into the boy.

Clearly, Maggie was mistaken.

"What do you think you're doing, speaking to my son that way?" The woman demanded, her tone hostile. "Oh Dudders, are you alright?"

Maggie blinked. Then blinked again.

Stood in shock, she stared at the woman, completely baffled by her behaviour. Maggie tried not to let her shock show in her expression, but she knew her face betrayed her as she faced the woman.

"Your son knocked over my Auntie, while riding that racing bike," Maggie said, pointing to where the bike had been carelessly thrown down on the ground. "I was asking your son if he was aware of the damage he could have caused, or if he realised how dangerous his actions were."

"Dudders wouldn't do a thing like that!" The woman snapped sourly, before placing a hand on the boy's shoulder protectively.

"Well, he did," Maggie retorted. "My Aunt already has one broken leg, and your son almost made it two."

"He wouldn't hurt a fly; he's a boisterous boy, that's all!"

"I don't care if he's Dalai bloody Lama, he's in the wrong!"

The woman opened her mouth like a guppy fish, Maggie's words having completely shocked her. Redness began to slowly work its way up her neck, until her cheeks slowly turned red, whether from embarrassment or anger, Maggie didn't know. The noise of a car parking nearby distracted her, and the woman turned her narrow neck sharply, before a look of relief pulled across her features.

"Vernon!" She cried, just as a very large man stepped out of the car.

Maggie reasoned this to be the woman's husband, as from his appearance alone, it was clear he was the boy's father. The man closely resembled the young boy; beefy and plump, with hardly any neck and beady eyes that were narrowed in Maggie's direction. He slammed the car door shut behind him, the action letting off a loud bang, before he stormed over to where his wife was stood and glared down at Maggie.

"What is going on here? This is private property!" He barked, looking at Maggie in distain.

Maggie felt her anger rise once more, the tone of his voice being enough to fuel her rage. Trying her best to keep her cool, Maggie smiled tightly (a very forced action) and hoped that the husband would be more reasonable than the wife.

She quickly found out that this was not the case.

"As I was just telling your wife," Maggie said, her voice strained as she tried not to lose her temper. "Your son nearly ran into myself and my aunt," She pointed over to where Aunt Arabella was stood. "I was just explaining to both your wife and son how dangerous his actions were and that he should apologise to my aunt, as she fell over because of it."

The older man did not react to Maggie's words and instead simply stared at Maggie in boredom, his moustache twitching. Like his wife, his face reddened slightly.

"That's it?" He scoffed. "Dudley's a boisterous little tyke, that's all! You lot want to learn to mind your own business!"

Once again, Maggie was rendered speechless by the family's words. How could they ignore the fact that their child was out of control? Maggie did not like interfering with other's private business but when she was nearly run over by an out-of-control, clearly spoilt child, she would not remain silent.

"Well, maybe you should learn to control your kid!" Maggie retorted, the anger rushing through her veins. It took every ounce of strength Maggie had not to hex the pair; they were clearly living in their own little fantasy world!

Vernon looked flabbergasted by Maggie's statement, his face flushing red. She had clearly struck a nerve, as the older man blinked in shock before his expression twisted into a sneer.

"You have no right – no right! – to speak to me that way!" The man exploded, his voice flustered and full of anger. He pointed a beefy finger in Maggie's direction. "What my son does is none of your business, missy!"

"It is when I'm nearly knocked over!" Maggie exclaimed, her eyes narrowed. Beside the man, the woman returned Maggie's glare, annoyance flashing through her pale eyes.

"Get off my property at once!" Vernon exclaimed, throwing his arm out in anger and pointing to the road. "I will not have you stand there and insult my family!"

Maggie gave an overly nice, fake smile before innocently interjecting, "I'm not insulting your family, I'm merely suggesting that your parental skills are subpar, and your lack of discipline will one day lead to a serious accident, which even you won't be able to ignore!"

With that, Maggie turned on her heel and stormed away. She could still hear Vernon stuttering for words after Maggie's exclamation which in a strange way, made the witch smile.

"What are you staring at? Back into the house!"

At Vernon's shout, Maggie turned to look back, confused with his statement. She thought he'd been speaking to his son – Dudley, if Maggie remembered correctly – but was surprised to see another child stood in the doorway of Number 4, Privet Drive. Maggie's gaze locked with the black-haired child and she couldn't help but frown. Who was that kid?

Vernon must have noticed Maggie's stare as he glared back at the witch before hurrying the rest of his family into the house. He harshly shoved the bespectacled child into the house and loudly slammed the door close before Maggie could utter a word.

Shaking her head in a mixture of shock and disgust, Maggie headed back over to where her aunt was stood. Aunt Arabella shot Maggie a stern look and the witch found herself feeling guilty about her actions. She ducked her head in shame as she helped her Aunt down the street, the pair walking in silence.

Once they reached her Aunt's house on Wisteria Walk, Maggie helped the elder woman into the house and headed straight to the kitchen. She quickly brewed a cup of tea for each of them before she headed into the living room, where her aunt was sat in her armchair by the window. Handing Aunt Arabella a mug, Maggie quickly sat down on the sofa, shooing Tufty, one of her aunt's many cats, out of the chair as she did. The cat gave a small hiss but quickly repositioned himself on Maggie's lap.

"So, then," Her aunt began, and Maggie found herself flinching at the harsh tone of her voice. "What did that accomplish then?"

Maggie sighed, "I'm sorry, Auntie. I know I shouldn't have flown off the handle like that, but that boy was bang out of order!"

"Even so, what did you think would happen by shouting at his parents?"

"I didn't mean to shout, I just got wound up," Maggie said sheepishly, looking down at her hands. "Honestly, I tried to stay calm, but they were just so unreasonable!"

Aunt Arabella began to chuckle, and Maggie looked at the woman in confusion. A frown pulled at her lips, not knowing how to react.

"What?" Maggie asked, slightly dumbfounded.

"Oh, my dear, I'm not as mad as you think I am!" Aunt Arabella exclaimed, between her laughter. "It's about time someone said something to those Dursleys'; they're a pain!"

Maggie blinked before asking, "You're not mad then?"

"I'm annoyed that you flew off the handle, but I can understand why," her Aunt explained, taking a sip of her tea. "They're a ghastly lot, those Dursleys. They've spoilt that boy rotten, he's a menace around here!"

"What about the other boy?" Maggie asked, her voice curious. "I saw another boy stood in the house, why wasn't he outside?"

"That'll be Harry, the poor dear," Aunt Arabella explained, her voice soft. "Petunia's nephew. They raised that boy but not well. I've told you about the boy I sometimes look after? That's him. They come to me when they want to go somewhere but don't want to take him."

"But that's awful!" Maggie exclaimed, the shock evident in her tone. "Surely, there's something you could do?"

Her aunt sighed, "I'm afraid not, dearie. They only bring him to me because I'm around the corner. I try not to make it too enjoyable; they wouldn't send him round here if he enjoyed it, but at least when he's here, he gets a good meal and out of that house."

Maggie slumped back in the chair, her mind reeling from the information her aunt told her. She slowly tried to make sense of it before her aunt muttered,

"He won't be here much longer at least."

"What was that?" Maggie asked in confusion, wondering what her aunt meant.

"What was what, dearie?" Aunt Arabella asked innocently. Maggie studied the elder woman's expression, confused over her words but her aunt quickly changed the subject.

"Anyway, I was wanting to ask you a favour."

"What is it, Auntie?" Maggie asked, her fingers moving to stroke Tufty's ear. The cat purred in satisfaction, rubbing his head against Maggie's hand.

"Snowy's just had a litter of kittens," Her Aunt began to explain. "I plan on selling most of them, but I thought as a graduation present, and to congratulate you on your new job, you'd like to have one."

Maggie looked up in surprise, a smile creeping to her lips. "Really?" She asked, her voice hopeful. "I can have one?"

"Of course, you can," Aunt Arabella smiled. "I know it'll be going to a good home; you and Tonks will take good care of it!"

At that, her aunt stood up and with the aid of her stick, hobbled towards the dining room, beckoning for Maggie to follow. The witch was quick to help her aunt, but she was waved off.

"I'm fine, Magnolia," Her Aunt said. "Now, they're over in the corner."

With a hesitant step forward, Maggie turned to where the cat-basket was and immediately let out a small squeal of delight. She knelt down, offering Snowy a quick ear scratch before turning her attention to the five squeaking kittens. She smiled widely, her heart soaring in excitement as she looked over them all, trying to get a cuddle with each.

"Now, take your time," Her aunt advised her. "Let them choose you."

It wasn't long before the five kittens were all over Maggie, clearly interested in the new visitor. Maggie let out a soft giggle as the little balls of fluff rubbed against her arms, desperate for attention. She was having a hard time trying to pick only one – they were all so adorable – but her eyes noticed a small shadow in the corner of the room.

Gently, she extended her hand to where a small kitten sat, clearly the smallest of the litter. The grey-furred cat sniffed her hand reluctantly before nudging her fingers for a stroke. Maggie smiled, slowly picking up the tiny kitten and clutching it to her chest.

Her Aunt smiled, "I think you've found the one."


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's note - I'm back! A very happy New Year to everyone and a huge thank you for your continued support. The next few weeks will be sporadic in terms of updating as January is a very busy month for me but hopefully, you should get an update every other Friday and be back on track come February! **

**A massive thank you to everyone who reviewed, favourited or followed this story; I can't get over how well this is going! This chapter marks the beginning of the second saga of Maggie's life, entitled 'How to cope with being an adult', and will revolve around the plot of Goblet of Fire. Unfortunately, no Charlie for the next few chapters but there is a healthy dose of drama and romance in this chapter!**

**Hope you all enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

_Never place someone so high on a pedestal that if they should fall...you get crushed._

_\- **Mark W. Boyer**_

* * *

_June 1993_

"I don't know who invented chocolate digestives but who ever did is a bloody genius," Georgie said as she helped herself to a biscuit. "It's got to be one of the best things muggles have invented!"

Maggie laughed, "You should try chocolate teacakes; they're on another level."

"I don't care what you bring Maggie, but for the love of Merlin, please keep bringing the muggle biscuits in!" Leo exclaimed, his hands curling round his mug of tea. "I don't know how else we'll all get through final exams; at least chocolate helps to motivate you."

The group of student Healers began laughing, though it was partly to mask the stress of work. They had three weeks left until their final healing exams for their second year and the atmosphere was stressed and tense. Even Maggie had begun to crack under the pressure. Tonks had one day found her sat asleep at the kitchen table with her head rested against her textbook and ink smudged across her cheeks.

Despite the stress and pressure of the Healing course, deep down Maggie knew it would be worth it. She had (somehow) survived last year's final exams and passed a few with flying colours – she could do the same this year too! To cope with the stress, Maggie and Tonks formed a 'late-night study session' group, as Tonks had a ridiculous amount of exams to pass too. It did work in Maggie's favour however when Tonks slowly got over-worked – it gave Maggie the perfect opportunity to practice brewing calming draughts, something the witch could almost do in her sleep.

The three healers-in-training were quickly pulled away from the break, being called back into their respective jobs by the stern Matron who was their superior. Maggie returned to the Magical Bugs and Ailments department, where she had been assigned to for the term.

While working on the ward was interesting, it hadn't been Maggie's first choice but as a Trainee, she had to be assigned to each ward as part of her placement. Her previous placement had been in the creature-induced injuries department and that had been her favourite place so far; the experience had left Maggie wanting to specialise in that division.

The rest of Maggie's shift flew by as the ward was busy that day; Maggie alone had to treat two separate cases of Dragon Pox, something which left her feeling nauseous at the thought. Her mind briefly flashed to Tonks' statement years ago – '_The Dragon Pox cure is in the future, isn't that right, Miss Healer?_' – and Maggie chuckled at the thought. Looking down at her patient, who was currently sneezing green sparks from his nose, Maggie gave a wry smile, knowing that she was far from that.

Maggie clocked out of word at six o'clock on the dot, much to her delight. Usually, she would end up working late but because of the occasion, she'd managed to persuade Matron to let her leave on time. Maggie almost skipped out of the hospital, offering Georgie and Leo apologetic smiles as she did. She quickly apparated home, arriving back to an empty flat. Maggie paused for a moment before remembering that Tonks was working a night shift, much to the metamorphmagus' dismay.

After checking the kitchen clock, Maggie realised she only had an hour before Joe would arrive. She quickly showered and changed out of her Healer's robes into a pretty red sundress before darting over to her desk and applying some makeup.

Joe hadn't said where he was taking Maggie but knowing Joe, Maggie reasoned it would be somewhere fancy. She'd insisted that he not bother with anything too extravagant, but Joe insisted.

"It's my girlfriend's birthday, let me show you off!" Joe persevered, shaking his head at Maggie's protests. "We hardly ever go anywhere nice, we've got the excuse now."

With a smile, Maggie pulled a red lipstick from her makeup bag and dragged it over her lips. Once she was finished, she let her hair tumble down from the tight bun she had tied it in that morning, hoping that the messy curls would look alright. She barely had time to tug her sandals on when there was a knock at the door.

"You look nice," Joe said, leaning forward and planting a kiss on Maggie's lips. "I got you these," He added, handing Maggie a bouquet of tulips.

"They're lovely," Maggie smiled. "Let me put them in some water before we go."

Once the tulips were placed in a vase (it was actually a glass pitcher that Maggie and Tonks used to make cocktails in, but it would work as a vase), Maggie locked up and accepted Joe's outstretched arm. The pair apparated and the familiar feeling of being pulled in every direction gripped Maggie. In a flash however, the pair appeared in an empty alley before stepping out onto the busy streets of Soho.

Taking Maggie's hand, Joe led the witch through the crowd, weaving in and out between tourists and commuters. After five minutes of walking, Joe stopped and turned to Maggie with a wide smile stretched across his lips.

"Here we are," He said, motioning to the building they stood before.

Maggie's eyes widened in surprise as she stared at the extravagant building before her.

"Joe, this is way too much -" Maggie began but she was quickly cut off.

"My treat," Joe insisted. "It's a special occasion."

Before Maggie could utter another word, Joe led them into the restaurant, holding the door open for her like a gentleman and walking up to the maître d'hôtel with confidence.

"We have a table booked for Joe MacFarlan," He said, and the waiter nodded before showing the pair to the table.

As they walked across the restaurant, Maggie felt herself internally cringe. The room was full of people dressed to the nines; she looked out of place with her little wrap dress that she'd bought in the sales. All of the women wore elegant, floor-length evening dresses, coloured in every shade imaginable, and the men were dressed in handsome dinner jackets and ties.

It was only then Maggie realised that Joe was also wearing a fancy suit and tie and Maggie felt extremely out-of-place and squirmed in discomfort.

The maître d'hôtel handed them each a menu once they were sat down, and Maggie's stomach clenched at both the extravagant selection of food and the price of it. Joe mustn't have realised Maggie's anxiety as he turned to the waiter and ordered a bottle of wine before asking what he recommended.

When it came time for Maggie to order, she managed to squeak out a quick reply, having managed to work out what some of the dishes were. She silently thanked her grandparents for moving to France; she was only about to translate some of the menu because of the numerous summers Maggie spent there.

Joe turned to her with a wide smile, "This is nice, isn't it?"

"Joe, isn't this all a bit too much?" Maggie asked, trying to keep her voice calm.

"I told you, Maggie, you're worth it," He replied with a charismatic grin. "It's your birthday; of course we're going to celebrate it!"

"I would have been happy with a drink down the pub and a takeaway – you didn't have to go so fancy," Maggie said, with a small smile. "I really appreciate it though, but next time, please don't plan anything too fancy."

The maître d'hôtel appeared beside them, placing their meals before them. Maggie held back a sigh of relief when a plate of beef and vegetables were placed before her – the summers in France had paid off. Despite her reservations, the food was delicious, and the wine was just as good.

"There was actually something I wanted to talk to you about," Joe said, pausing to take a sip of his wine. "I got called into the office at work today; McLeod wanted to talk about my position on the team."

"What do you mean?" Maggie asked, a frown pulling at her features.

Joe had always been adamant that once he left Hogwarts, he would become a professional Quidditch player. While at first, Maggie had been somewhat hesitant about this (how many times as a child had she told her dad that she wanted to become a professional football player?) she had eventually come round to the idea. After all, Joe did manage to become Seeker for Montrose Magpies reserve team – though upon graduating, there was a rumour that Joe had only gotten the position because his uncle was Captain. Maggie vehemently argued the rumours, but there was always a small part of her that did wonder.

Joe enjoyed his job however, and that was the important part, no matter what anyone said. He was always at practice first thing in the morning and would often not come home until long after the sun had set. He had, on more than one occasion, missed meetups with Maggie, which were few and far between due to their busy schedules, but he was always apologetic when he did so.

Joe let out a low chuckle and rubbed his chin, "McLeod told me there's a position as Seeker came up on the first team. He asked me if I wanted it!"

It took Maggie a few moments to comprehend his words but when it clicked, Maggie let out an excited squeal, drawing some annoyed glances from other patrons.

"That's amazing!" She exclaimed. "First team in less that two years? Oh Joe, I'm so proud of you!"

"Thanks, Maggie," Joe said, an ecstatic grin stretched across lips. "That's part of the reason why I booked this place – with my new pay rise, I can afford to take you out more."

Something flickered through Maggie as Joe spoke – he'd booked the meal for her birthday, surely? It hadn't been some last-minute thing, Joe must have planned it weeks in advance.

"I'll be working longer days, but it'll be worth it," Joe explained after he called over the waiter and ordered a bottle of champagne. "There'll be more late-night practices and pressure on me in general but the pay check more than makes up for it."

"I'm so proud of you, it's great news," Maggie said, smiling into her champagne.

Somehow though, her words felt empty. The conversation quickly turned to Quidditch and practice schedules and was mainly dominated by Joe. Maggie continued to smile along, happy for her boyfriend's success, but part of Maggie felt annoyed.

Not that she wasn't happy for him! Only...it was supposed to be _her_ birthday meal... Maggie felt stupid for feeling so selfish – Joe couldn't help that he got that promotion today! – but it was supposed to be her day. Joe hadn't once asked how her day had been or how her job was going in general.

But Joe had been promoted so she should be happy for him, right?

Then Maggie couldn't understand why she felt so despondent.

* * *

_September 1993_

"We need to plan these more often!" Louisa cried, pulling first Maggie and then Tonks into tight hugs. "I swear, it's been ages since we last met up!"

Tonks chuckled, "Hey, we try but some of us work night shifts."

"Yeah, nine-to-five jobs are a blessing, believe me," Maggie added, taking a sip of her Firewhiskey.

"But is any job really only 'nine-to-five'?" Eddie asked humorously. "My contract says nine-to-five but it's more like dawn-till-dusk, the hours I'm working."

"Are you gonna let us in on the big secret then?" Maggie asked, leaning over towards the wizard. "Please! I swear, I won't tell anyone."

"You keep those puppy-dog eyes away from me," Eddie chuckled, pointing towards Maggie. "Between those and Louisa's column, my career would be over!"

"Come on Eddie, spill the beans," Tonks said, picking up her butterbeer bottle. "You can trust us."

"No, I bloody can't!"

"I think we'll just have to accept that we'll have to wait for Eddie to reveal his big secret," Kevin said, with a despondent frown. "For once, he's keeping his mouth shut!"

"Oi!"

Laughing, Maggie turned to Kevin. "How is muggle relations going? Met anyone famous yet?"

"Hardly," Kevin chuckled, shaking his head as he spoke. "I'm that far down on the food scale, they don't even trust me to owl the post."

"I know that feeling," Maggie said, with a slight huff. "Healing isn't as glamorous as they make it out to be; some days I want to bleach my eyes after the things I've seen. And all the Healers treat you like shite; they think that because you're a student, they can walk all over you."

"Hear, hear," Louisa chirped in. "I'm more like the office go-for. When they said I'd get my own column and desk, I didn't realise how little time I'd actually be sat down at it!"

"No one takes me seriously at work," Tonks said, her tone low and heavy, as she stared down at her empty glass. "None of them think I'll pass my exams, I've seen the looks they give me. Merlin, even Mad-Eye thinks the same, only he's too busy to notice."

Eddie gave a half-hearted nod, "At the end of the day, I'm a glorified temp," He said before taking a gulp of Firewhiskey. "I get coffee, book meetings and make sure that Bagman doesn't spill the beans on what's happening."

"Adulting at it's finest," Kevin muttered, raising his glass in sarcasm. "I still think it's an achievement that I haven't given myself food poisoning yet. Believe me, there's been a few close calls."

"I miss Hogwarts," Tonks grumbled, slumping down in her seat. "Things made sense there."

Louisa nodded, "The worst thing we had to worry about was homework; now it's redundancy and not paying the rent on time."

"How the hell did it get so depressing?" Eddie asked, shaking his head in disbelief. "I mean, life was good when we graduated. When did we all get so depressing?"

"You know, I was just asking myself the same question."

At the sound of a new voice, the group of witches and wizards turned in confusion to see who had spoken. When the group realised who the figure stood behind them was, their expression morphed from disheartened to shock and amazement.

"Adam!" They exclaimed in unison as their frowns stretched into grins and smiles.

Louisa was the first to jump to her feet, pulling Adam into one of her signature hugs. Maggie and Tonks were straight behind her, embracing Adam tightly. The wizard chuckled as Maggie hugged him, lifting the witch up off the floor and giving her a small twirl, much to the other's amusement. Kevin appeared behind Maggie, offering Adam a warm smile and a clap on the back in welcome.

It was only Eddie, Maggie noticed, who hung back. Usually, the best friends were joined at the hip, but Adam moving to America seemed to have put a strain on their friendship. Nevertheless, Eddie happily welcomed Adam with a tight hug, though Maggie still could not help but notice that something was off.

Another round of drinks were ordered to celebrate Adam's arrival and the wizard wasted no time delving into what he had been up to. It was strange, Maggie thought, to have Adam back – he had been living in America for over a year – but the group's friendship dynamics eased back into their old ways and it felt just like it used to.

"But seriously, you guys, what's with all the doom and gloom?" Adam asked, taking a sip of his Firewhiskey and looking round at his friends. "I leave for a bit and you all sink into some deep depression? Some Hufflepuffs you are!"

This earned the wizard a chorus of groans – good-natured, however – along with a few sighs as the young adults shared a glance.

"It's not all the bright lights and big dreams that we thought it would be," Kevin eventually said, shaking his head. "Being an adult is the worst."

"Especially when you suck at your job," Louisa added bitterly before taking a long sip of her wine.

"I think this if the first night out I've had since New Year's," said Tonks, shaking her head in shock. "I never seem to be home, or at least when I am, I'm constantly revising."

"Our lives probably aren't as glamorous as New York," Maggie commented with a wry laugh.

Adam shook his head and barked out a laugh.

"Are you guys serious? What's wrong with you lot? I go away and you all turn into mopey teenagers again?" With a look of determination, he turned to face Louisa.

"Lou, you're a copywriter at one of the biggest magazines in the country. You have any idea how popular Witch Weekly is in New York? It's massive! When I tell people that I know someone who works there, they practically beg me for insider gossip!

"Kevin," Adam continued, his gaze moving to the wizard sat next to Louisa. "Two words; Muggle Relations. Do you realise how great you are at that? You can effortlessly step between the muggle and the wizarding worlds without so much as batting an eyelash – do you know how difficult most wizards find that? You're ace at your job!

And Tonks, you catch Dark Wizards for a living; that's wicked! You're basically the Batman of the wizarding world – who cares if you struggle with Stealth and Tracking?" Adam exclaimed, earning him a laugh from Maggie and Kevin as the others simply blinked in confusion.

"Maggie, you save peoples' lives every day. Do you know how amazing that is?" The wizard's gaze turned to Maggie, who shuffled uncomfortably in her chair at the attention. "You're the reason people wake up after a nasty accident; if it wasn't for you, they would be dead."

"And you, Eddie," Adam's voice suddenly dropped an octave; his tone turned serious and low, but the positive effect remained. "How many people can say that they helped organise the World Cup? You put up with Ludo Bagman every day, for Merlin's sake, are you really gonna let someone like him knock you down? You've planned the Triwizard Tournament, not him!"

"Adam!" Eddie exclaimed at the wizard's words. Adam's eyes widened with shock as he realised what he had said.

"Oh-Umm-Ignore that last part, guys?" His words were more like a question as Adam turned to face the group with a sheepish smile. "I'm guessing you didn't tell them?" He asked Eddie, who was tiredly rubbing his face.

"No, I hadn't."

"The Triwizard Tournament?" Tonks stated in disbelief. "That's the big project you're working on?"

"Holy hippogriffs, that's amazing, Eddie!" Maggie exclaimed.

Despite the secret being blurted out, Eddie still smiled wryly. "It's insane," He admitted, rubbing his head tiredly. "All the planning, all the preparation, that's why I've been working so late."

"It's worth it though," Kevin pointed out enthusiastically.

"Yeah, once in a lifetime!" Louisa exclaimed.

Eddie nodded. "It's been in the works for a long time, but Dumbledore really campaigned to hold it this year. With the World Cup as well, the schedule's pretty tight but I think we could actually pull it off!"

"Well, if this doesn't call for Firewhiskey, then I don't know what does," Adam grinned, motioning to the barman.

A bottle of the amber liquid appeared in front of them, along with six glasses. Adam quickly poured each person a glass before holding his own up in a toast.

"To Hufflepuffs!" He exclaimed jovially, his grin widening as the group laughed. "Slytherins are sly, Ravenclaws are stuck-up and Gryffindors are impulsive but Hufflepuffs are the ones still standing at the end! We may not be the centre of attention, but we work hard!"

"To the Quidditch World Cup!" Eddie said, raising his glass. "May Ireland win, and Eddie pull off the best World Cup this country has ever seen!"

"To Auror examinations," Tonks added with a chortle of joy. "May they burn in the fiery depths of hell!"

"Muggle Relations! Where an owl can be above you in the pecking order!" Kevin joked, his drink sloshing over the edge of his glass.

Louisa raised her glass in suit. "May gossip magazines keep my rent afloat!"

"To Dragon Pox!" Maggie cried with a wide smile. "One day, there'll be a cure but until then, here's to finishing a shift without catching it!"

Cheers echoed through the pub as the six young adults clinked their glasses together in toast and quickly downed the amber liquid. Chatter settled over the group and it was decided that after a few more drinks, they would most likely call it a night.

That was the theory, however.

Three hours later at a time closer to midnight, all of the former Hufflepuffs were still in the Leaky Cauldron and showed no signs of leaving. At this point, they were the only ones left in the bar, and while the bartender looked slightly disgruntled at the late hour, he showed no signs of kicking the group out.

By this point, Maggie found herself sat beside Adam; Tonks and Louisa having jumped up to dance with a very intoxicated Eddie. Kevin was still sat at their table, his head rested in his arms and looking suspiciously asleep.

"So, how are things between you and old MacFarlan?" Adam asked and while he could form a sentence, his eyes struggled to remain open.

Maggie barked out a laugh. "Fine, of course! Why would you think otherwise?"

"No reason," Adam shrugged in response. "Just figured he would have come tonight, that's all."

"He's probably just been held up at work," Maggie said sleepily, struggling to keep her eyes open. She stifled a yawn before continuing. "He'll be here soon, just you wait..."

Despite her alcohol-induced state, Maggie could still make out the questioning look Adam sent her.

"What?"

"Maggie," Adam said softly. "It's nearly midnight. I don't think Joe's coming."

"He will," Maggie insisted, pushing herself up in her seat. "Practice will have gone on for longer than he thought it would...He'll owl me if he's going to be late."

Adam gave a short, tentative nod and thankfully left the conversation there. His eyes drifted away from Maggie towards a certain figure on the makeshift 'dancefloor', and Maggie watched his besotted expression.

"You know, you could always tell Eddie how you feel," Maggie said quietly, suddenly feeling sober.

Adam's head snapped away from where he had been staring and he looked down at Maggie with an expression of panic and confusion.

"I don't know what you mean," He quickly said, his tone guarded.

Maggie rolled her eyes. "Yes, you do. It's my time for the romance advice so listen up. You like Eddie, don't you?"

Adam began to fumble out a few words, and as they centred around denying Maggie's assumptions, the blonde witch quickly raised a hand to silence him.

"Adam, come on. I've known for years; you've liked him since Hogwarts!"

"I don't know what you mean," Adam muttered, avoiding Maggie's gaze.

"Okay then, if you're going to be awkward about it," Maggie muttered, turning to face Adam. "Theoretically, if you did have feelings for Eddie, what would you do?" At Adam's silence, Maggie rolled her eyes again. "Come on, Adam! What's stopping you from admitting it?"

"What if he doesn't feel the same way about me?" Adam asked quietly, staring down at his glass. "I don't want to jeopardise what we have, if I say how I feel, he might hate me!"

"Eddie could never hate you, you're his best friend!" exclaimed Maggie, and Adam quickly shushed her loud tone. "Honestly, you're both as blind as bats; you both like each other. And in that way!"

"It wouldn't work though, Maggie," Adam said tiredly, his eyes dulling. "It couldn't ever work. I don't want to be 'that' person from school, the one who fell for his best mate."

"But why could it never work?" Maggie pushed. "if you both have feelings for one another, surely it's better you take the chance? What's stopping you?"

Adam gave a dry laugh. "Everything's stopping us! It might sound perfect but in reality? I'd be painting an even bigger target on my back; the homosexual Mudblood. And if Eddie ever shared the same feelings, well...I doubt anyone would take him seriously.

And believe me, Maggie. There is no way I'd ever jeopardise everything Eddie's worked so hard for. I couldn't do that to him, no matter what feelings I have."

Adam trailed to a stop, his tone falling silent as he finished his heartfelt speech. Maggie stared at the wizard, taking a minute to full absorb his words. After a moment of silence, Maggie leaned over and pulled her friend into a tight hug.

"I didn't realise," She said softly. "I'm sorry. You deserve to be happy, with whoever makes you happy. Don't turn yourself into someone else just for the sake of others. But I want you to know this, you Adam Cartwright, are one of the bravest, best men I have ever known. It takes a lot of courage to say what you said and if anyone tells you otherwise, I will personally beat the snot out of them."

Despite everything, Adam chuckled. "I'd forgotten how stubborn you were, Maggie Ainsworth. Merlin, I've missed you all."

"We miss you too," Maggie said, resting her head on his shoulder. "I hate how you're so far away but the idea that you love your job makes it easier."

"I told you, all of us are doing great. We've got this whole 'adulting' thing."

Maggie managed an absentminded nod as her eyes struggled to stay open. Deep down, she knew it was time to head home, but she wanted to savour the moment for a little while longer.

"Question is though, when are you going to take your own advice?"

Adam's words echoed around Maggie's mind just as the witch drifted off, but she was too tired to comprehend it's meaning.


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's note \- Suprise update!**

**Apologies for the delay, as I mentioned in the previous chapter, January is a super busy month for me. Thank you for all the lovely feedback on the last chapter and a special thank you to K; I had juggled with the idea of naming Maggie's dog either Pepper or Peggy and got that confused while writing, called the dog both names! Though I can confirm that our favourite four-legged friend is in fact, called Peggy!**

**Again, this will be the last update for another two weeks, I've just been super busy! Further apologies as this chapter is more filler than anything else, though it sets up the next arc nicely and our favourite red-headed wizard will be making an appearance!**

**Hope you all enjoy this chapter and don't forget to leave a review!**

* * *

_Most of the time you will fail, but you will also occasionally succeed. Those occasional successes make all the hard work and sacrifice worthwhile._

_**\- Dean Kamen**_

* * *

_March 1994_

"I still can't believe Mad-Eye Moody is your mentor!" Maggie squealed as she added milk to her mug of tea. "That's insane; how the hell did you manage that?"

Tonks chuckled as she ran a hand through her electric blue hair, what she considered to be a colour match to Moody's eye. "Haven't got a clue! I thought for sure I'd end up with some sourpuss like Dawlish; thank Merlin I dodged that spell."

"What's he like?" Maggie asked as she walked over from the kitchen, tea in hand, and took a seat beside Tonks on the sofa. She curled up, tucking her legs in and turned to face Tonks with a curious smile. "Is he really as doolally as everyone says he is?"

"Not really. I mean, he's really paranoid about everything. He nearly hexed me to Hull when I offered him a biscuit," Tonks laughed at the thought and shook her head. "He knows what he's doing, which is the main thing. And he picked me!" She exclaimed excitedly, throwing her arms up with enthusiasm.

Maggie's mug of tea almost went flying at the witch's enthusiasm and Tonks jumped to her feet with gusto. After quickly recovering, hissing slightly as the hot liquid touched her hand, Maggie looked over at Tonks, who was still squealing with excitement.

"Sorry, but do you know what this means?" said Tonks, her smile wide and hopeful. "Mad-Eye only mentors the students who scored top of the class. This must mean that I passed Stealth and Tracking!"

"You flew through the rest of the exams, why not that one?" Maggie said with encouragement.

Tonks barked out a laugh. "Believe me, Mags, that was the one exam that I thought would get me kicked out."

"I'm sure it wasn't that bad!"

"Maggie, I nearly blew the entire operation! Thank Merlin it was only a drill, I wouldn't be able to face everyone if it was an actual assignment."

Maggie frowned in confusion. "Wait, what actually happened? You never got a chance to tell me."

Tonks smiled sheepishly, her expression slightly guilty. "Well, it may have involved tailing a 'Death Eater'" Tonks air quoted the term. "It was only Savage disguised, but we still had to pretend."

"Okay, so you were following a 'Death Eater'," Maggie nodded, considering her friend's words. "What's so bad about that? Isn't that what begin an Auror is all about?"

"Yeah. I mean, that and a ton of paperwork. But it's what happened afterward, that's the problem." Tonks said, her expression bashful. At Maggie's raised eyebrow, the witch continued. "Okay, so the scenario was that this Death Eater was planning to break out a bunch of Dark wizards from Azkaban-"

"They're really hyping up the Sirius Black breakout, aren't they?" Maggie quickly interjected, and Tonks grinned.

"I think this year's training is all about covering their arses after the whole incident. Especially since they've still got no idea where Black is," Tonks shook her head. "But I digress. The scenario was a potential breakout from Azkaban, and I had to tail this wizard for information."

Tonks paused for a moment, fidgeting with her sleeves as she pondered her next words.

"So, I'm tailing this Dark wizard, which is really just Savage in disguise. He heads to Borgin and Burkes; you know, that shop in Knockturn Alley that's basically a recruitment centre for Dark Wizards?"

"For the sake of the story, let's just say I do," Maggie said, giving her friend an encouraging smile. "You're in Borgin and Burkes, so then what happens?"

Tonks groaned. "It was so embarrassing! I'd barely stepped into the shop when I get spooked by one of the artifacts! It had been jinxed to start caterwauling whenever someone stepped into the shop. And because of that, I may have bumped into a few other things...and knocked over three bookcases, which then hit a Crushing Cabinet that Savage may have been stood next to..."

Tonks trailed off, leaving the room in silence. Maggie stared at the witch, who avoided Maggie's eye and stared at the floor with dejection. After a moment, Maggie blinked. Then blinked again.

A peal of laughter sounded from Maggie before she could stop herself. Despite everything, Maggie could not help but laugh. Though Tonks's expression was melancholic, after a few moments, a small laugh echoed from the Auror and both witches began cackling at Tonks' words.

"That is brilliant!" Maggie exclaimed between laughs, her eyes watering with amusement. "I would have paid to see that!"

"Stop, it's not funny!" Tonks said, flopping on to the couch and swatting Maggie's arm. "This is my career!"

"Your career's fine, you've got Mad-Eye as a mentor! They clearly have a good sense of humour!"

Tonks opened her mouth to retort, but no words came out. After a few moments of gapping like a fish, she sighed and let her head fall back, resting against the back of the sofa.

"Career over," She muttered helplessly. "Life ruined. Sanity gone and my reputation in ruins. How did this happen?"

"In fairness Nymph, everyone knows just how clumsy you are," Maggie pointed out, trying to sound optimistic. "And despite the whole 'knocking down a few shelves', you still passed!"

Tonks squeaked out a noise of defeat and Maggie rolled her eyes.

"Don't be such a drama witch, everyone will have forgotten by Monday!" Maggie exclaimed, patting Tonks' arm in reassurance. "You still passed, and you got Mad-Eye as a mentor. That clearly means he thinks you did a good job! Or that he actually has a sense of humour," At Tonks' slight movement, Maggie grinned wickedly. "Or maybe they decided that you'd drop out after working with Mad-Eye!"

"Hey!" Tonks yapped, her head snapping up.

"Well, I mean, you said Mad-Eye hardly ever takes on apprentices, maybe you are just a pet project of his?"

Tonks narrowed her eyes at Maggie, who smiled innocently. "I know what you're trying to do, but it won't work."

"What am I trying to do, Nymphie dearest?" Maggie asked, her voice as sweet as sugar. "You're the one who is being all doom and gloom; I'm simply supporting your views."

"Mags, stop it!"

"All I'm doing is saying what you're thinking. If you don't like it, then stop thinking it and change it!" Maggie said earnestly, her tone growing louder. "You're a bloody good Auror, Nymph, qualified or not.

Stop being such a dramatic witch and accept that you screwed up. So what? You think Mad-Eye came into the world hexing Dark Wizards left right and centre? He had to train too, and he undoubtedly messed up at some point down the line. So, stop kicking yourself over one tiny thing and focus on the positives. You passed everything else!"

Tonks was silent for a moment, her eyes narrowed in thought as she stared at Maggie, contemplating her words. Maggie stood tall and stared back at the witch, her arms folded across her body and her expression serious.

"You're right, I'm being an idiot," Tonks said quietly, avoiding Maggie's gaze.

"What was that? Didn't quite hear you over the self-doubt," Maggie teased, and Tonks rolled her eyes playfully.

"You heard me full well, Magnolia Ainsworth. You were right!" Tonks exclaimed, nudging Maggie's arm. "Merlin, I'm never gonna live this one down, am I?"

"Nope," Maggie grinned. "I should have brought a camera. Then I would have had proof that you admitted I was right!"

"Don't let it go to your head, it was only one time," Tonks conceded, holding her hands up in mock surrender. "Though I'm pretty sure I win the title of being right; I usually am."

"Now who's got the big head?" Maggie laughed. She was about to continue her jesting when there was a tap at the window.

Both witches turned to see an owl perched outside, a letter attached to his leg. With a sigh, Maggie heaved herself to her feet and opened the window. The bird flew in and Maggie immediately recognised it at Joe's owl. At the realisation, her stomach sank. With careful hands, Maggie untied the letter from the owl's outstretched foot and opened the envelope. After reading the words, Maggie sighed and slumped down onto the sofa.

"What's up?" Tonks asked, noticing her friend's dejected state.

"Joe has to work late again," Maggie muttered, burying her head in a cushion. "Practise got extended and he says he won't be finished till at least eleven."

"Seriously?" Tonks said, grabbing the letter. "That's like, the third time this week!"

"I know," said Maggie with an unhappy nod. "He knows I'm back on nights tomorrow, this was our last chance to do something!"

"There's always next week?" Tonks said hopefully. "I mean, once the Quidditch league ends, you'll have plenty of time then."

"I know," Maggie sighed, trying her hardest to stay positive. "It's just...he's being doing this a lot lately. Ever since he got that promotion. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for him but some days it feels like he's choosing to stay at work on purpose when he knows we have plans!"

"It's his first time in the big leagues, maybe he's just feeling nervous and needs the extra practice?" Tonks offered in an attempt to remain optimistic.

"Maybe...I don't know, it just feels like I'm only here when it suits him," Maggie confessed, her tone quiet and disheartened. "He seems to think that he's the only one who works crazy hours, and when he wants to do something and I'm at work, he gets annoyed."

"But you can't help your work schedule!" Tonks exclaimed in support.

"Exactly! I tried to explain that to him, but it just ruffled his feathers and we spent the night in total silence," Maggie mumbled, curling into a small ball and relishing in the comfort of the sofa. "He knew tonight was important, I'd booked tickets to go and see _The Phantom of the Opera_; I've been waiting for ages to see it!"

Maggie's head fell dejectedly onto the cushion beside her as she tried her hardest not to overreact. It wasn't Joe's fault that he had to work late! It was...the universe, the universe was sending Maggie a sign. The sign was...Okay, maybe Maggie didn't entirely know what it meant but the facts were laid out in front of her.

Number one; Joe had to work late. There was no getting around that fact, no matter how much Maggie wanted to ignore it. Joe was committed to his job – the job that he'd worked incredibly hard to get – and Maggie did not want to get in the way of everything he had worked so hard for.

Joe would do the same for her!

Fact number two; there were now two Phantom of the Opera tickets sat on her dressing table that were about to go to waste. Two _expensive_ tickets that Maggie fought tooth and nail to get.

Maybe she could ring the ticket office and ask for a refund? Maggie was sure they'd understand – 'Yes, I'd like a refund on my tickets? Why? Oh, because my boyfriend had to work late even though he promised he'd be home on time, and I don't want to get in the way of his career. Thank you!'.

Final fact; Maggie seriously needed chocolate.

And maybe wine?

Disheartened, Maggie lumbered over to the fridge and pulled out the bottle of rosé wine that she'd bought especially for the occasion. She contemplated drinking the liquid straight from the bottle but quickly ushered the thought away – she wasn't that depressed!

She pulled a red mug from the cupboard – she and Tonks hadn't quite gotten round to buying proper crockery – and poured herself a healthy measure before going back to sit on the couch. Maggie ignored Tonks' questioning glance and took a large drink of wine, savouring the feeling.

"Maggie," Tonks said from beside her but the witch in question avoided her gaze. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Maggie said, a bit too enthusiastically. "It's going to be a great night, I've got wine and chocolate! Who could ask for more?" The last part came out more pitiful than Maggie realised it would and she internally cursed herself.

"No, you're not," Tonks said gently, taking the mug away from the blonde witch. "You're upset, and it's understandable. But I think you're missing a few things."

"Like what, Nymph?" Maggie wailed. "Joe cancelled on me, _again_. He knew this was important to me!"

Tonks gave a despondent smile. "It's shite, I know," She said reassuringly, patting her friend's shoulder. "And you need to tell Joe that, so he knows how shite you feel. But before that, at least you can show him what he missed."

Maggie frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You want to go and see Phantom of the Opera? So then, go!"

"I can't go myself!" Maggie exclaimed. "I don't want to be that loner that everyone stares at, wondering who would go to a musical by themselves!"

Tonks rolled her eyes. "Maggie, for being so smart, you really are thick. I'll go with you!"

"What?" Maggie blinked, taken back at Tonks' words.

"I'll go with you to see the musical! It beats sitting home alone, and this way I don't have to deal with you getting drunk on wine and watching that muggle TV show – what do you call it? Friends! This way, we can get you dolled up, Joe will realise what he missed out on and you can still see the show!"

"But Nymph, you had plans to go see your parents -" Maggie began but Tonks quickly cut her off.

"Mum and Dad will understand," She insisted, pulling Maggie to her feet. "And this way, I don't have to listen to Mum's ranting about how I can't fold a pair of socks properly!"

Despite her mood, Maggie managed to choke out a laugh. Overwhelmed by Tonks' gesture, she pulled her best friend into a tight hug, appreciating the gesture.

"I take it all back, you really are the best friend I've ever had," Maggie smiled as Tonks' arms wrapped around her.

Tonks chuckled. "Like you'd ever doubt it! Just promise me you'll wear that red dress you bought the other week; that'll really make Joe regret cancelling on you!"

* * *

_June 1994_

Maggie shifted uncomfortably as she berated herself for her choice of outfit. She knew she shouldn't have listened to Louisa, but the fashion-forward girl insisted on lending Maggie an outfit for her interview.

"You're trying to get a job at Hogwarts Maggie, you need to look your best!"

Louisa had ignored Maggie's pleas and objections and used every advantage of working in a fashion magazine to dress Maggie up in the newest robes she could get her hands on. During the escapade, Tonks fell off the bed from laughing too hard, causing both Maggie and Louisa to glare at the witch.

"Honestly, you two! How in Merlin's name have you survived this long?" Louisa cried, forcing Maggie to change her outfit again. "It's a wonder you haven't accidentally killed yourselves; you're the most accident-prone people I know!"

Maggie huffed as she waited patiently in the Entrance Hall, hoping that she did not look overdressed. Louisa had finally settled on midnight-blue robes, which Maggie had to admit, were very pretty. The only problem was that they were very constricting...clearly fashion models did not understand the importance of chocolate.

Just as Maggie began contemplating using a small enlargement charm to let out the waist of the robes, she heard footsteps approaching. Maggie turned, cursing her hesitance, to see Professor McGonagall approaching. Despite the situation, Maggie couldn't help but smile at the sight of the Professor, feeling at ease almost instantly.

"I must say, it is a pleasure to see you back in Hogwarts, Miss Ainsworth," The Professor greeted politely, a hint of a smile pulling at her lips.

Maggie smiled widely at the Professor's words. "Thank you, Professor McGonagall, it's lovely to see you," Maggie replied as she followed Professor McGonagall up the Marble Staircase. "It's strange being back here, but at the same time, it doesn't feel like I've left."

"I'm sure you'll settle back," Professor McGonagall reassured her. "You were Professor Dumbledore's first choice, you know?"

"Really?" The dumbfounded words escaped Maggie before she could stop herself. She blinked and scolded herself before recovering. "I mean, I appreciate Professor Dumbledore's consideration, regardless of the outcome."

The Professor shot Maggie an amused smile. "You shouldn't be so surprised, Miss Ainsworth. We've had glowing reports from Matron Hughes, and plenty of Healers from St Mungo's. Healer Smethwyck from the _Dai Llewellyn_ ward personally wrote to Professor Dumbledore, saying you were the ideal candidate."

Maggie's cheeks flushed red, from a mixture of embarrassment and shock. When the bulletin had appeared on the noticeboard in the staffroom, Maggie would never have thought that she'd actually be considered. She'd applied, of course, as had all the other Healers-in-training, but she thought for sure that some of the more experienced apprentices would be considered.

Matron Hughes had approached Maggie a few days later, asking to speak to her privately in the Matron's office. Maggie felt sick to her stomach – the only reason you were asked into the Matron's office was if you had done something drastically bad! Leo and Georgie sent her encouraging looks, but even their expressions couldn't disguise the worry in their eyes.

Pale as a sheet and whiter than a ghost, Maggie had followed the Matron into her office and waited patiently for the tongue-lashing she had somehow earned.

But it never came.

Instead, Matron handed Maggie an envelope sealing with the signature red Hogwarts stamp, a rare smile stretched across her lips.

"Never would I have thought that a Healer-in-Training would be invited to interview for this position, especially not one as young as you," Matron had said. "You're excused from your shift tomorrow; and make sure you do us proud!"

Since then, Maggie had been in a state of euphoric bliss. She'd floated around the wing, as though she was on cloud nine, and put everything she had into her work. Leo and Georgie were ecstatic, as were Tonks and Louisa when Maggie told them.

Professor McGonagall cleared her throat, bringing Maggie out of her thoughts and back down to reality. Maggie smiled sheepishly, trying to hide her embarrassment.

"Try not to worry too much, Miss Ainsworth, I remember what you were like during exam times," Professor McGonagall said gently, making Maggie's cheeks flush once more. The Professor was silent for a moment before adding, "This is off the record, but you would be my choice for the role."

She then gestured towards the stone Gargoyle that guarded the Headmaster's Office. Still slightly dumbfounded by Professor McGonagall's words, Maggie stepped forward, unsure of what to do.

"Mint humbugs," Professor McGonagall said.

Maggie blinked in confusion just as the stone gargoyle moved, revealing a stone staircase. She turned back to look at Professor McGonagall, who gave her an encouraging nod. Maggie slowly took a step, making her way up the staircase until she reached a large, wooden door. Hesitantly, she leaned forward and knocked on the door loudly.

"Enter," The voice echoed from behind the door.

Maggie grasped the bronze handle and pushed the door open. She stepped into the room before her eyes widened in amazement. During her time at Hogwarts, she had never stepped foot in the Headmaster's office, but it was certainly a sight to see.

It was a large, circular room, with windows lining the walls and portraits in-between. Everywhere was covered in portraits, and after her eyes quickly took in the room, Maggie realised all the portraits were of past Headmasters and Headmistresses. Looking around the room, Maggie couldn't help but notice all the different objects perched upon spindly tables. Extravagant silver instruments emitted smoke at random intervals and the amount of books that lined the walls made Maggie want to squeal with amazement.

"Miss Ainsworth, thank you for accepting my invitation," The words quickly snapped Maggie away from her thoughts.

Professor Dumbledore sat behind a large wooden desk in the centre of the room and was smiling down at Maggie. A collection of parchment scrolls sat before him, which vanished with a swish of his wand.

"Thank you for inviting me, Professor," Maggie said, stepping forward.

"Please, take a seat," The Headmaster gestured to an empty chair in front of the desk.

Maggie smiled and eagerly sat down. She nervously fiddled with the sleeve of her robe, knowing that Louisa would be cursing her for doing so. Professor Dumbledore was silent for a moment, as his eyes drifted over the remaining parchment on his desk.

"If memory recalls, you were quite the academic during your years at Hogwarts," Professor Dumbledore said, his eyes finding Maggie's. "I see that has not changed, your references all cite that you are a hard-worker and empathic towards those in your care."

Maggie blushed at the words, smiling sheepishly. "Thank you, sir. I only want to do a good job," She replied, struggling to find the right words.

Professor Dumbledore nodded. "A very good attitude to have. It is an important quality to have in this world, the ability to respect those in your care, regardless of their history."

"Illness can hit anyone, regardless of their position," Maggie said, straightening up in her chair. "It shouldn't matter who they are, everyone has a right to life."

"A very good ideal indeed," The Professor smiled, his eyes twinkling. "I trust you know what event is being held here this year? It would seem that, despite the Ministry's best attempts, even the most important of secrets can find it's way to the ears of others."

Maggie's cheeks burned red in panic. "Please Sir, it's not Eddie's fault. He didn't mean to tell us, I swear-"

Her words were cut off by Professor Dumbledore's raised hand. "That is not why I have called you here. Best assured, Mister Summers is not in any trouble what so ever; there have been those in higher positions who have let bigger secrets slip, to many more people as well."

The Professor paused for a moment, studying Maggie's expression. "In truth, the reason I invited you here was because of the Triwizard Tournament. Tell me, did you read the advertisement?"

"Yes Sir," Maggie nodded, before frowning slightly. "I did wonder though. It was rather vague in explaining its purpose."

"Yes," Professor Dumbledore chuckled, a smile stretching across his features. "The reason for that was because I needed the right sort of person, not just someone who would apply for the sake of applying." At Maggie's confused expression, the Professor continued.

"It is not just that we require another Healer this year at Hogwarts. Madame Pomfrey does an excellent job and by no means do I wish to step on her toes, but the Triwizard Tournament will bring about an encore of different situations. Not only will there be additional students at Hogwarts this year, but there will also be more staff who may require medical attention as well as the other side of the Tournament."

Professor Dumbledore paused again. His eyes continued to twinkle but Maggie could not help but noticed the serious undertone that crept into his eye.

"The Triwizard Tournament has been notorious throughout the years. It is renowned to be dangerous, and the exceedingly high death toll has not helped his reputation. While the Ministry has put actions in place to ensure that safety is a priority, there is also the student's wellbeing to consider.

"That is why, Miss Ainsworth, I created the advertisement. Not only am I looking for someone who can assist Madame Pomfrey, but I am also looking for someone the students can speak to, the Triwizard Champions in particular. The Tournament is still dangerous, and those participating may need someone to speak to about their experiences and any worries they may have."

"So, you are looking for someone to look after the students' mental wellbeing?" Maggie asked, her voice unsure.

Professor Dumbledore nodded with a smile. "Exactly that, Miss Ainsworth. Which is why I invited you here. From your time at Hogwarts, it is clear that you are approachable, and you have experience in this area after being Head Girl. Your mentors all cite you as hard-working and more than capable in your field, something I have no doubt Madame Pomfrey will appreciate.

"But Miss Ainsworth," The Professor said, his gaze locking with Maggie's brown eyes. "The real reason I want to offer you this job is because of how you answered my earlier questions. It takes a great deal of courage and an exceptional amount of tolerance to care for people who may not respect you.

Those are the qualities I need at Hogwarts this year. I warn you now, it will be hard work. But from all concerned, I believe that you are the ideal choice. So, Miss Ainsworth, will you accept my offer?"


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's Note - We've hit 10,000 views!**

**Apologies for the delay in updating, hopefully, we should be back to weekly updates but please bear with me. I'm very excited to share this chapter; not only are we starting the second story arc (Goblet of Fire), or heading to the Quidditch World Cup, but Charlie is back! He'll be appearing in the next few chapters and seeing as our favourite meant-to-be couple are now adults, there's a lot more to work with. Which means a lot of cute, warm and cuddly scenes!**

**Don't forget to leave a review if you enjoy this chapter! Thank you for favouriting and following this story - it really means the world to me!**

* * *

_It's not too late to develop new friendships or reconnect with people._

_\- **Morrie Schwatz, Tuesdays with Morrie**_

* * *

_July 1994_

_**Promising Chaser's Career in Tatters!**_

_Just weeks before Great Britain is to host the famed Quidditch World Cup, the dreams of an up-and-coming Chaser have been reduced to ash, writes Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent._

_Joe MacFarlan, a relatively recent addition to the successful Montrose Magpies, was injured during a qualifying round of the British and Irish Quidditch League. What started off as a friendly game between rivals quickly turned into an intense game that saw MacFarlan thrown from his broom by a stray bludger._

_But was there foul play involved?_

_Sources have informed this Special Correspondent that the incident was far from squeaky clean as historical team rivalry played a part in this unfortunate incident. While neither team Captain would comment on these accusations, fans have assured this reporter that the age-old rivalry between the Montrose Magpies and the Ballycastle Bats is still very much present on the Quidditch Pitch._

_This long-time struggle between the two teams dates back centuries. Many Magpie fans have claimed that the competitiveness stems from a match in the early Eighteenth Century, in which the Ballycastle Bats lost due to adverse weather conditions allowing the Magpie Seeker at the time, catching the snitch before the Ballycastle Bats could mount their brooms._

_On the other hand, Bats fans argue against this, instead citing the biased referee as the reason their team lost the game. Sources claim that while the weather conditions were particularly harsh that fateful day, the referee was in fact, raised in a Magpie-supporter family, but this fact has been debated over the centuries, mostly by Magpie Supporters._

_MacFarlan, it would seem, has bore the brunt of this rivalry. The soon-to-be twenty-two-year-old has suffered life-changing injuries as a result of this conflict, though thankfully, he still remains one of the most handsome Quidditch players in the League (see this week's edition of Witch Weekly to find out who ranked number one on our poll of 'Top Ten Best Dressed Beaters')._

_Montrose Magpie publicist, Philippa Grey, gave an exclusive press release with this Special Correspondent. 'Mr MacFarlan is getting the best medical attention in the business. While it was an unfortunate accident, Joe remains optimistic about his future in the industry. He would like to thank his fans for all of their support and looks forward to returning to his lifelong dream of Quidditch'._

_While Ms Grey, an aging fifty-or-so-year-old woman with what can only be described as questionable fashion sense, sounded positive about MacFarlan's return to Quidditch, this correspondent has a reliable source saying that despite their hopes, MacFarlan may never return to the Quidditch pitch. Sources have confirmed that despite the strict instructions to remain on bedrest, MacFarlane has already secured a job working for the Ministry in the Department of Games and Sports._

_This reporter thinks that young Mr MacFarlan would be the perfect employee for that department – bringing an element of youth and charm back to the dull department. Furthermore, this may placate the rumours that swarmed when MacFarlan was appointed as Chaser._

_As many of the readers will know, Joe MacFarlane is the nephew of the well-renowned Hamish MacFarlan, former Captain of the Montrose Magpies. When young Mister MacFarlan was appointed as Chaser for the team, there was a surge in rumours surrounding the means of his appointment. While already serving on the reserve team, many disgruntled and rejected applicants claimed that MacFarlan was appointed because of his familial connections, not his Quidditch skills._

_Either way, it would seem that Joe MacFarlan's career is currently in shambles and the young, ambitious Quidditch player has a long road ahead of him, for both recovery and career. (Pictured left, Chaser Joe MacFarlan attending the opening of Jinx, an upscale cocktail bar, alongside long-time girlfriend, Maisy Ainsbury)._

* * *

_August 1994_

"Hurry up, Maisy! We don't want to be late!"

"Nymph, I've told you, stop calling me that!" Maggie exclaimed, her cheeks flushing in annoyance as she struggled to tie the laces of her hiking boots.

"Oh relax, it's not like Joe's here," Tonks replied, rolling her eyes. "I've got more sense than to mention the article in front of him."

Maggie hummed, the small noise echoing in her throat. "Still...I don't even look like a Maisy!"

She stomped down the staircase to see Tonks stood at the bottom, her arms crossed in amusement and a smirk decorating her lips. Maggie shot the witch a playful glare as she headed into the kitchen and grabbed her rucksack.

"Seriously though? Maisy?" She demanded, shoving a book into the already overpacked bag. "In what world do I look like a bloody 'Maisy'?!"

"I don't know, if I squint and cock my head," Tonks began, earning a small shove from Maggie. "Hey! I've called you worse!"

"At least your nicknames are creative," Maggie cried, pouting her lip in annoyance. "But Maisy? God, Joe was that mad at the article, he didn't even realise until his mum pointed it out."

"Joe's got bigger things to worry about. Like his new job!"

It was Maggie's turn to roll her eyes. "Yeah, like worry about moaning about his new job. Honestly, you'd think he'd lost the Philosopher's stone, the way he's going on."

"Is it really that bad?" Tonks asked gently and Maggie sighed.

"Yes? No? Maybe? Merlin, I can't even tell. Some days, he's worse than a hormonal teenager with the number of strops he throws, then the next day, he's like a hyperactive Niffler! There's no in-between, and I never know what mood I'm going to catch him in."

Maggie sighed as she leaned against the cabinet, brushing a stray strand of hair away from her face.

"He is making more time for me, I'll admit that. But I feel awful about the circumstances! He could have died, for Merlin's sakes! I wanted him to make more time for me, but not like this..."

Tonks wrapped an arm around the blonde witch and pulled her into a hug.

"Hey, don't you dare feel guilty, it's not your fault!" Tonks said, her tone kind and reassuring. "It was a freak accident, that's all. Did you hit that bludger? No! It's shite that it happened but Joe needs to put on his big boy pants and grow up. It's not like he'll never play Quidditch again, the Healers said he'll make a full recovery. He needs to think of this as a break so that he can focus on the important things."

Maggie sniffed back a tear. "Thanks, Nymph. I really needed to hear that. And thanks again for getting me a ticket last minute; Joe was certain he'd get some but with everything that's happened, he just forgot all about it. Though it's not like he'd be in the mood to go..."

"Speaking of which," Tonks checked her watch with a smirk. "It's time to go!"

With a laugh, Maggie swung her rucksack onto her back and followed her fellow Hufflepuff out of their flat, making sure to lock the door behind them. One of their muggle neighbour's, a strange man by the name of Mister Barrow, shot the girls a disgruntled look as they headed out of the building, no doubt shocked by Tonks' colourful hair, which was a shocking shade of turquoise.

After stepping out onto the busy London street, the pair headed down the empty alleyway adjacent to their flat. Tonks gave the alleyway a quick scope, checking for any stray muggles before nodding to Maggie. She held out her arm and Maggie grimaced.

"Merlin, I hate apparating," She muttered, before taking Tonks' outstretched hand.

Almost immediately, the sensation of being squeezed through a tube overcame Maggie. Her nose wrinkled in disgust as her tummy did summersaults and her chest tightened. She squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to ignore the feeling, but it made no difference.

Her head was pounding by the time the two witches reached their destination with a loud '_crack_!'. Maggie's legs felt like jelly as she tried her hardest not to fall over, suddenly aware of the people now present. She slowly opened her eyes to see a wizard stood before her, dressed in both a poncho and a kilt.

"Wotcher, Basil," Tonks greeted merrily. The grin etched across her features told Maggie that the witch was trying her hardest not to laugh. "How's it going?"

"Not too bad, Tonks," The wizard replied, looking up from the parchment he held. The quill continued to scribble away as he spoke. "In for a long night though, we won't be finished till at least six tomorrow morning."

Tonks grimaced. "Unlucky. Had many people come through?"

"Loads," Basil shook his head tiredly. "Had a group of nine come in just before you. It's like that all night. There's another one coming at quarter to five, and then an even bigger party coming through not ten minutes after."

"Think of the Quidditch; it'll be worth it," Tonks reassured him, and the elder wizard nodded.

"Very true," He said before looking down at his list. "You two young ladies are in the field over there; 'bout a quarter of a mile away, first one you come to. Site manager's called Roberts...Just watch yourselves though, he's been on twice daily obliviations...some people just can't keep quiet...that Ludo Bagman's no better..."

"Thanks, Basil," Tonks said, grabbing Maggie's arm and steering her down the path. "Enjoy the match!"

Fighting back giggles, the witches headed down the dirt track until they reached the field signposted 'Roberts'. They were quickly greeted by the site manager, Mr Roberts, who directed the girls to their pitch. Maggie made sure that she paid for the campsite; after what Basil had said about the memory charms, she didn't want to risk Tonks's limited knowledge of muggle money.

Thankfully, the tent did not take too long to put up, though this was partly due to Maggie's father, as he insisted that his daughter practice beforehand. Though at the time, Maggie was reluctant to do so, she hated to admit that her father had been right. The tent was assembled quite easily, with Tonks' directing and Maggie doing the heavy lifting.

"You know what you're doing; you practiced!"

"It's a wizard tent! It's not rocket science!"

"It might as well be!"

After playfully bickering, both girls decided to call it a night. They reasoned that the following day would be busy, and both wanted to be well-rested for the match, as Tonks was banking on the game running well over time.

The tent that they had borrowed from Tonks' parents was equipped with a small kitchen, bathroom, living room, and only one bedroom, so Maggie insisted that Tonks take the bedroom while she took the fold-out bed in the living room. In truth, Maggie had to argue this but eventually, the small witch won as Tonks was too tired to protest any longer.

The fold-out was surprisingly comfortable, Maggie discovered, as she curled up beneath the blankets. She had no doubt that Tonks' parents had charmed it with a cushioning charm; Ted had told Maggie about how they would take the tent to go camping when Tonks was young. Either way, Maggie wasn't complaining as she snuggled up and opened her book.

The sound of Tonks' soft snores echoed from the adjoining room as Maggie's eyes flickered of the words of The Hobbit. In truth, she had read it many times before but was one of her favourites. A small smile graced her lips as she thought about her first night at Hogwarts; how excited she had been when she realised the Hufflepuff common was similar to Bilbo Baggins' fictional Hobbit Hole.

At some point, Maggie drifted off as when she awoke, light had begun to filter into the tent. Rubbing her tired eyes, Maggie checked her watch for the time. She groaned when she realised it was only five o'clock and rolled over, intent on going back to sleep.

Noise from outside the tent, however, prevented Maggie from drifting off, and she frowned at the voices that echoed through the thin walls of the tent. Annoyed, Maggie grabbed the blanket and snuggled up, relishing in the warmth that it offered as the chatter outside seemed to grow.

"Bloody neighbours," She mumbled, yawning as she did. "They better not be like this tomorrow."

In what seemed like the next moment, Maggie felt herself being roughly shoved, and a noise echoed through the room. She tried her hardest to ignore it and groaned as she buried herself further into the pillow.

"Maggie!"

At the sound of her name, Maggie bolted upright, suddenly away and alert. She had barely sat up, however, when her forehead hit something hard, a loud 'crack' sounding round the room. Maggie cried out in pain as she flinched, cradling her injured forehead in her hands. She looked up to see Tonks stood overhead, clutching her head in a similar fashion.

"Merlin, Maggie, are you made of bricks?!" Tonks exclaimed before groaning.

"What the hell, Tonks! That is not how you wake someone up!" Maggie retorted, flinching as she pressed her forefinger to the sore spot. "You know what I'm like in the morning! There are better ways to wake me up!"

"I thought you'd grown out of it," said Tonks, heading over to the small kitchen. "How was I supposed to know? Anyway, I've made tea."

Maggie's head shot around and she smiled sweetly.

"Okay, that is the right way to wake me up."

The pair took a seat at the small kitchen table, both still dressed in their nightclothes. Neither girl minded as they drank tea and helped themselves to the chocolate biscuits Maggie had brought along, though Tonks was slightly crestfallen when she realised there were no pink wafers.

"Neighbours are here," Maggie mumbled through a mouthful of biscuit. "Heard them last night. Or this morning, if you want to be particular."

Tonks nodded, "We'll go say hello to them later. It smells like they've started a campfire, so maybe we could ask to cook lunch with them?"

After agreeing that they would venture out and greet their new 'neighbours', the two witches set about getting organised. Tonks grabbed the shower before Maggie could even say 'quidditch', so the blonde witch settled upon washing the dishes first. Once Tonks was finished, Maggie quickly showered before pulling her denim shorts and a long-sleeved shirt. She left her hair loose; for once her unruly curls remained calm.

Tonks gestured that she was ready, and Maggie quickly followed the witch out of the tent, her eyes narrowing at the brightness of the early morning sun. As her eyes adjusted to the light, Maggie suddenly became aware of the orange in her vision.

Or rather, how much of it there was.

Blinking a few times to focus her eyes, Maggie quickly realised that it was not the colour orange she was witnessing, but rather the sheer amount of red-headed people sat outside the tent beside her. It took Maggie a few seconds to place the image but after a moment, she realise that there was only one family with many red-headed children.

"Tonks!" A voice exclaimed from the group sat before them. "I didn't know you'd managed to get tickets!"

"Mad-Eye managed to get me some," Tonks smiled widely as she stepped towards the tall, thin man with balding red hair. "He mentioned you'd gotten Top-Box seats too, Mister Weasley."

"Somehow, but I still don't know how I managed it," Mr Weasley said brightly, his eyes flickering over to Maggie. He smiled kindly. "And who might this be?"

Tonks grinned. "This is Maggie Ainsworth, my best friend from school. We were both in the same year as Charlie."

"Nice to meet you," Maggie said. Her stomach constricted nervously though she had no idea why.

Well, she may have had an inkling.

"Lovely to meet you, Maggie," said Mr Weasley, before he gestured to the makeshift firepit behind him. "Join us for some breakfast, will you? Molly's packed us loads of food and we'll never eat it all."

"Ron will try his hardest though, Dad," A young red-haired girl chirped up from behind, earning her a glare from a boy who was slightly older.

"Oi!"

Maggie and Tonks exchanged a brief look before Tonks grinned and stepped forward.

"Thanks, Mr Weasley. We didn't pack much in the way of food!"

The two girls sat down on an empty patch of grass, with Mr Weasley sat on the one side of Tonks, while space was left beside Maggie. He quickly handed each girl a plate of sausages and eggs before he began to introduce the two witches to the small group.

"Of course, you'll remember Fred and George," Mr Weasley began, pointing to the twins, who were sat opposite to the girls. Both twins smiled wickedly, their grins identical.

"Of course, they remember us, Dad!" The first twin said.

"Who could ever forget about us?" George chimed in as Fred nodded.

"Who could forget when we set all those dungbombs off outside the Slytherin common room?"

"Or the time we charmed the Transfiguration corridor into a lovely rainbow colour?"

"Or, one of my personal favourites, the great water balloon war of '89?"

"Yeah, Maggie was there for that one!"

"Don't remind me," Maggie said, pretending to shudder at the thought. "The water balloons were fine, but when you decided to fill them with custard and launch them from the Clock Tower? I still have nightmares about the aftermath."

"Hey, I swear I still find custard in my hair because of it!" Tonks exclaimed.

The witches burst into giggles, which were quickly joined by the sound of Fred and George laughing. Maggie's eyes looked over at the rest of the group, scanning the others present. She easily recognised the other two red-heads as Ron and Ginny, a smile gracing her lips when she realised who the pretty young girl was. It had been that long since she'd seen the witch, she hardly recognised her!

Maggie did not know the other witch and wizard, so she reasoned that they must be friends with the younger Weasley children. They both appeared to be of a similar age to Ron; the bushy-haired girl smiled shyly at Maggie when she met the older witch's eye. The boy, however, appeared seemed less shy, though he was still silent. Maggie's eyes flickered to the scar on his forehead, half hidden by his messy black hair, and the cogs of her mind began turning.

"One of our better pieces, Georgie," Fred said, smiling like the Cheshire cat.

George nodded, "Simple but effective."

"You remember the twins, but I don't know if you've met anyone else?" Mr Weasley cut in, trying his hardest not to grin at his sons' antics. "This is Ron and my daughter Ginny – "

"I've met Maggie before Dad," Ginny chimed in, smiling kindly at Maggie.

"Have you? Good, good, and then we've got Ron's friends, Hermione Granger and Harry Potter."

"Nice to meet you," Tonks said while Maggie smiled in greeting. "All of you still at Hogwarts then?"

Hermione nodded. "Harry, Ron and I are going into our fourth year; Ginny's a third-year now."

"Merlin, I wish I was still at Hogwarts," Maggie said, accepting a cup of tea from Mr Weasley with a smile. "I really miss it!"

"What is it you do?" Hermione asked eagerly, earning a small groan from Ron.

"I'm studying to become an Auror," Tonks explained, and both Harry and Ron's eyes lit up in excitement. "I'll be qualified by the end of next year."

"I'm a Healer, but I've still got some training to do," Maggie added.

"That means you must have gotten at least an Outstanding in your O.W.L.s!" Hermione exclaimed, before blushing red when she realised how loudly she had spoken.

"Well, I mean...I did okay..." Maggie mumbled sheepishly.

Tonks scoffed out a laugh. "Okay? You did more than just okay! She only failed Divination and History of Magic!"

"No one passes History of Magic, I swear it's rigged!" Maggie exclaimed in mock defence, earning a laugh from the group. "And anyway, you made me take Divination! I was happy not to do it, it's pointless."

"Yes, but then I would have been all alone," Tonks pointed out. "Anyway, it's not like you'll ever need it."

"How many Outstanding's did you get?" Hermione asked, her tone curious as she studied Maggie's embarrassed expression, which grew redder as more attention was put on her.

"That doesn't really matter..." Maggie began but Tonks was quick to cut her off.

"She got six, but swears it should have been seven," Tonks interjected, shooting Maggie an amused expression. "Maggie claims that she was robbed in Ancient Runes exam by rouge translation."

"I was!" exclaimed Maggie before she could stop herself. "The Elder Futhark rune has multiple meanings in different contexts; it didn't specify which!"

After her outburst, Maggie looked up to see everyone staring at her with bemused expressions. Her cheeks flushed and she muttered out a few words of defence before falling silent.

"It's like seeing Hermione's future," Ron whispered to Harry, earning a chuckle from the bespectacled boy.

Hermione shot the boy a glare, which Maggie smiled gratefully at. The bushy-haired girl then turned back to Maggie, eagerly asking the older witch a multitude of questions, ranging from O.W.L.s, to what her job was like. Beside her, Tonks was dealing with a similar situation, though Harry, Ron, and the twins were more interested in the action-filled side of her job, not the endless amount of paperwork.

Maggie tried to answer the younger witch's questions the best she could, with Ginny asking the occasional question. When the conversation turned toward Maggie's specialised area, the blonde witch was quick to delve into explaining how the different departments of St Mungo's worked. She explained that while she was still in training, Maggie aimed to specialise in either the creature-induced injury ward or the spell-damage ward.

The detail of the injuries quickly turned the boys' attention, and it wasn't long until Maggie was telling an intricate tale of some of the worst injuries she had dealt with.

"What about the bloke that came in with his nose transfigured into an elephant's trunk?" Tonks offered with a chuckle. "You said that was a pretty interesting day."

Maggie groaned. "Merlin, don't. He moaned more than anything; I was pleased to see the back of him! What about that time all those Aurors from your department came in because they set off that boil jinx, but they accidentally set off a pepper-breath jinx at the same time? It took ages to get the ward cleaned up afterward; my robes are still scorched!"

Tonks laughed, just as a loud crack sounded from the woods behind them.

"Savage still can't live that down; Mad-Eye was furious!"

"Just apparated, Dad!" A voice sounded from behind them. "Ah, excellent, lunch!"

Three figures appeared beside Mr Weasley, each smiling at the sight of food. Mr Weasley offered a quick greeting before plating up food for them. Maggie smiled and returned back to her plate, not giving the new arrivals any thought. From the corner of her eye, she noticed a figure staring at her, but was too hungry to worry about it. She had just finished off her sausages and was taking a sip of tea when Mr Weasley spoke.

"And of course, you three will all remember Tonks. No doubt you know Maggie as well!"

Maggie turned her head to smile in greeting when she found herself frozen in her tracks. Tonks was right, for being as clever as she was, Maggie truly was an idiot! It hadn't occurred to her that being sat with his family, Maggie would run into Charlie Weasley.

She noticed Percy first. Despite a few years passing, Percy still looked the same as always, albeit a bit older and almost more dignified. Beside Percy, stood Bill, who had clearly changed since his Hogwarts days. His hair was longer, and he looked almost like a punk-rocker, with dragon-hide boots and a fang earring. Bill shot Maggie and Tonks a wide grin, just before Maggie's eyes flickered over to the remaining Weasley brother.

Although if ever questioned, she would deny it vehemently and swear that she had never once thought it, at that moment in time, Maggie had to admit, Charlie Weasley had grown up _handsome_.

Maggie blinked, trying to regain the composure she'd somehow lost in a matter of seconds. She wanted to kick herself for even thinking those thoughts, but Maggie could not help but notice how Charlie had changed since the last time she'd seen him, no matter how small the differences were.

While he was still stocky, he was surprisingly tall for his build; his skin was more tanned than Maggie had ever seen it. His arms were muscular and decorated with an abundance of burns - no doubt from dragon-fire - but in a strange way, it suited him. His face was weather-beaten and almost ruggedly handsome, decorated with freckles that added to the tanned colour of his skin.

But it was the eyes that really drew Maggie in.

Bright blue and twinkling, Maggie was lost in his eyes like a storm-battered boat in the sea, crashing through the blue waves into unknown territory, reaching out to the unknown with open, hopeless arms in search of rescue...

Maggie blinked again. Where in Merlin's name had that come from?

"Hey, you two!" Tonks exclaimed, bringing Maggie's thoughts crashing back down to reality. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Certainly has," Bill grinned as he moved to sit beside Tonks.

Percy moved to sit beside his father, rambling away about cauldron bottoms – Maggie frowned in confusion at the obscure topic. Tonks hastily shuffled around, making the space for Bill to sit next to her, leaving the only available spot next to Maggie.

Charlie was still stood, staring awkwardly as Maggie avoided his eye. Knowing that the longer it was left, the situation would grow more awkward, Maggie nodded her head to the room beside her, sending Charlie a kind look.

"Pull up a patch of grass?" Maggie said, hoping her jovial tone hid the nervousness that flooded her body.

Charlie smiled in response, taking the empty spot beside Maggie. The blonde witch shuffled along, making more room as Mr Weasley handed Charlie a plate of food and topped up everyone's tea. Despite how they had parted on good terms, Maggie still felt anxious about speaking to Charlie. Though she berated herself for these feelings, they still clawed at her mind.

"How are you doing?" Charlie asked her, leaning towards her so that his voice could be heard above the din of other conversation.

"Alright," Maggie nodded, staring down at the fire. "I mean, I've been as stressed a squirrel during autumn, but other than that, I've been pretty good," Maggie smiled as Charlie laughed at her small joke, her heart fluttering at the sound. "What about you? I haven't been invited to any post-mortems in Romania so I'd say you must be doing okay."

"I mean, there's been a few close calls," Charlie began with a grin, chuckling at the words that echoed the past before shaking his head. "Nah, it's the best thing I ever did; I love working there."

"That's great," Maggie smiled. "I'm sure your mother is overjoyed that you haven't been burnt to a crisp."

Charlie chuckled, throwing his head back as he laughed. "There's been a few close calls," He winked. "But I didn't tell Mum. If she knew how close, she would have locked me in my bedroom and thrown away the key."

Maggie giggled as somehow, the nervousness in her stomach began to melt away. It was strange; as the conversation deepened and the time passed, Maggie began to feel more relaxed around Charlie. Something settled over her – almost a sereneness that she was unfamiliar with – and part of Maggie enjoyed Charlie's presence.

"Hey, Mags!" Tonks called. Her head popped up, peering around from beside Charlie. Behind her, Bill's face also appeared, and the pair wore identical coprophagous grins.

"This lot's got tickets for the Top Box as well!" Tonks exclaimed, her smile wickedly devious. "We can sit with them tonight!"

Maggie blinked for the third time.

But somehow, the idea didn't seem too bad.


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's Not****e \- It's the Quidditch World Cup!**

**Happy Friday, my lovely readers, I hope this chapter finds you well! I couldn't wait to share this chapter with you; it has plenty of Maggie and Charlie moments that hopefully should melt your hearts. A massive thank you to the response to the last chapter, it really makes my day! I really enjoyed writing the Quidditch World Cup arc - if any of you have read my original story, you'll have a rough idea of what happens next but I really wanted to flesh this part out more. After all, who doesn't want Charlie swooping in to save the day? (Though next time he needs to do so atop of a dragon!)**

**Side note, I will be going back to fortnightly updates (every two weeks) as I have so much studying to do and a mountain of work to get through (why can't education be like Hogwarts?).**

**I hope you all enjoy - don't forget to leave a review!**

* * *

Murderers are not monsters, they're men. And that's the most frightening thing about them.

\- _**Alice Sebold, The Lovely Bones**_

* * *

_August 1994_

As dusk fell, Maggie found herself following the lantern-lit forest path, with Tonks beside her and the Weasley group slightly ahead. Every so often, one of the witches would be drawn into the excitement around them; pausing to peruse the various merchandise stands that had appeared. While the group would stop occasionally on their way to the stadium – they had spent some time waiting for Ron to purchase a moving figurine of Viktor Krum – it seemed to fall to either Bill or Charlie retrieve the girls, lest they be left behind.

"But look at them!" Maggie cried eagerly as she examined the tiny models of Firebolts as they zoomed around the stand. "Aren't they cute?"

Charlie chuckled softly, "As amazing as they are, we'll miss the match if we don't hurry. Merlin knows we've got a long way to walk yet."

"Fine," Maggie gave a mock pout. "But you can't stop me from having one last look at the rosettes! I still haven't bought one."

With a smile, Maggie made a beeline for the nearest cart that was decorated with luminous tones of green and red. Tonks stood a little further down, examining programmes. Turning her attention back to the stall, Maggie let out a small laugh when she noticed the dancing shamrock hats and the red scarves embroidered with lions that gave off real roars every so often. She felt someone's presence beside her, and Maggie turned to face him with a wide smile, pointing at one of the scarves.

"Pity they didn't have the Gryffindor equivalent," She joked, and Charlie rolled his eyes playfully.

"They would have really boosted team spirit at the Gryffindor versus Slytherin matches," He commented jovially before checking his watch. "I'd say we've got about five minutes before Dad realises that we've all wandered off."

"I can shop in five minutes," Maggie replied, her eyes darting back to the rosettes that had earlier caught her eye. "Hmmm...I think I like the sparkly green one. Thoughts?"

"It's nice," Charlie said with a nod. "Show's off your support of the best team."

"Don't let Tonks hear you, she'll castrate anyone who says Krum won't catch the snitch," Maggie said, handing her money over to the sales clerk.

"She and Ron will get on then," Charlie grinned. "He won't shut up about him; I swear he's got a crush."

Maggie laughed, "He's allowed to have his favourite Quidditch player. Though you should be concerned if he starts snogging his new figurine; that spells serious problems." She paused, fixing her rosette in place. "Does that look okay? It's not wonky, is it?"

"Here, give me a sec," Charlie said, and his hands moved to fix the pin.

As his fingers brushed against her arm, Maggie suddenly realised just how close Charlie was stood. She could practically feel the warmth of his body – though that may have been the evening air – and if Maggie focused hard enough, she could make out the faint musk of his aftershave. She prayed that her cheeks did not redden as she fought every thought in her mind that willed her to move closer to his body.

"There," Charlie said, stepping back as Maggie looked down to admire his handiwork. "That's perfect."

"Great," Maggie smiled, hoping that her cheeks would cool down. "Now, for the final touch."

Pulling out her wand, Maggie leaned down. She tapped her wand against the dull worn leather of her Doc Martens and muttered a quick spell. In a flash, the once dull shade of black and morphed into a bright shade of emerald green, matching the rosette pinned to Maggie's chest.

"All sorted," Maggie said with a smile. She looked over at Charlie and couldn't help but frown. "Where's your team colours?"

Charlie smiled sheepishly, running a hand through his hair. "I lent Ginny some money for a flag. Green's not my colour."

"You bloody Gryffindors and your house pride. Just because their colours are green, it doesn't mean you shouldn't support your team," Maggie pointed out before turning back to the stall. "One more rosette, please."

"No, Maggie, you don't have to..." Charlie began but Maggie quickly cut him off.

"What sort of fan would I be if I let someone walk away without the team colours?" Maggie said, selecting a rosette and fixing it in place on Charlie's shirt. "Don't grumble, and there is no way I'm taking any of your money. You will have to buy me some chocolate though," She said, earning a laugh from the wizard.

After a few moments of awkward silence, in which Maggie once again realised her proximity to Charlie, Mr Weasley beckoned everyone back and the group headed towards the stadium. Maggie smiled at the Ministry witch as Tonks handed over their tickets before following Mr Weasley up the richly carpeted staircase, which felt oddly out of place. Maggie and Tonks brought up the rear while Bill and Charlie were in front of them, keeping an eye on the younger members.

As she took her seat, Maggie couldn't help but notice Harry, Ron and Hermione stood slight off to the side, Mr Weasley beside them looking tense. The Minister of Magic stood nearby, with a group of three people who were looking at the Weasley's in veiled disgust. The atmosphere suddenly turned tense though the Minister either didn't notice this or elected to ignore it as he rambled away.

The only woman of the trio – no doubt both the mother and wife – cast her eyes across the box, her gaze lingering on Tonks. The turquoise-haired witch shifted uncomfortably, turning to face Maggie to avoid the woman's intense gaze.

"That's Mum's sister," Tonks whispered to Maggie, her expression pained. "The one who disowned her."

At this information, Maggie turned her head sharply and glared at the blonde-haired woman, who had followed her husband and son to the other side of the Top Box. Maggie's eyes narrowed before she turned back to Tonks.

"Don't let her spoil your night," Maggie said firmly, giving her friend a reassuring hug. "And if she gets too close, I'll hex the living daylights out of her."

Tonks' laugh was enough of a sign to indicate that the girl had cheered up. Maggie nudged the witch's shoulder in a reassuring manner just as someone sat down on Maggie's other side. She turned and saw Charlie, smiling sheepishly as Bill took the seat beside him. Mr Weasley stood behind Bill, directing the others to their seats, just as Ludo Bagman burst into the Top Box, bouncing around the box like an enthusiastic toddler on a sugar rush.

"Merlin, he's always running at full blast, isn't he?" Maggie whispered to Tonks, who giggled. "He's like a toddler on a sugar rush."

"You should see how he talks to Mad-Eye; I swear, Mad-Eye will hex him one day because of his chirpiness!"

Maggie grinned before settling back in her seat, her eyes scanning over the programme she had purchased earlier. She absently flicked through the pages, not really paying attention. Lost in her own thoughts, she didn't hear the voice until she felt a soft tap on her arm.

"Could I borrow that?" Charlie asked as Maggie looked up startled. "I forgot to buy one and Bill's too busy looking at the broomsticks to lend me his."

"Yeah, no worries," Maggie said with a smile, handing over the colourful leaflet. "Won't be long now."

Charlie shook his head. "No, it shouldn't be. I'm interested to see what mascots the teams brought. Chances are, Ireland will have brought Leprechauns; they may have brought Porlocks, but they aren't nearly as impressive."

"You don't think they'll have brought Augureys? They're known as the Irish Phoenix," Maggie pointed out, but Charlie shook his head.

"As impressive as they are, there's just too much stigma surrounding them. Half the stadium would be convinced they'd be dead within a week and the Ministry would have an uproar in their hands."

Maggie gave a nod of understanding. "I didn't think of that," She admitted. "Leprechauns would be a safe bet then. What about the Bulgarians?"

"Tricky to say," Charlie sighed, rubbing his forehead in thought. "I'd hope the Bulgarian Redback – it would tie in with the team colours – but in this environment, it would be cruel to put a dragon anywhere near a stadium this big."

"And a safety risk?" Maggie said, her lips curving into a smile.

Charlie laughed, "Yes, a safety risk too. But more for the dragon."

"Well, it looks like we're about to find out what they've brought," Maggie said as Ludo Bagman swaggered forward, taking his place at the front of the box.

"Ladies and gentlemen...welcome! Welcome to the final of the four hundred and twenty-second Quidditch World Cup!"

Bagman's voice bellowed throughout the stadium, amplified by the '_sononrus'_ charm he had cast. The roar of the crowd was overpowered by the sound of spectators' applause and screams of delight and enthusiasm boomed throughout every corner of the stadium. Maggie's whoop of joy was lost within the din, but her eyes darted around the stands, hungry to take in all the excitement.

Flashes of every colour could be seen decorating the stands, as avid fans waved team flags; some supporting Ireland, others supporting Bulgaria but there were a fair number of other team flags that had been knocked out of the Cup in earlier matches. Maggie's eyes were drawn to the huge blackboard opposite the Top Box, and she watched as the last advertisement for Bertie Botts' Every Flavour Beans was replaced with a scoreboard. Silver letters spelled out 'BULGARIA: ZERO, IRELAND: ZERO' as Bagman's voice boomed around the stadium.

"And now, without further ado, allow me to introduce...the Bulgarian Team Mascots!"

Maggie leaned forward, eager to see what the team had chosen. A hundred of the most beautiful creatures stepped forward onto the pitch, their white-gold hair fanning around their figures like halos. Under the intense bright lights of the stadium, the Veela's skin shone like moonstone and Maggie felt a twinge of jealousy stab through her heart.

Then, they started to dance.

The trance-like dance sent every man in the stadium into a such a state of stupidity, it almost hurt when Maggie rolled her eyes. Turning her head, Maggie looked down the row of seats to see that only Mr Weasley had the common sense to cover his eyes. He chuckled as he watched each of his sons in various states of dumbfoundedness; Ron looked ready to dive from his seat while Harry's leg rested on the wall of the box, ready to climb over.

Maggie's eyes flickered to the figure beside her and she couldn't help but sigh in annoyance. Charlie's hands clung tightly to the railing in front of them, almost ready to launch himself over with a dazed, lovestruck expression. Though the Veela had stopped dancing by this point, Charlie's expression remained the same, his hands still tightly gripping the rail.

Rolling her eyes once more, Maggie placed a hand on Charlie's shoulder and yanked him back into his seat. The wizard blinked, looking confused for a moment before his eyes landed on Maggie's hand and his cheeks flushed red.

"Thanks," Charlie mumbled, avoiding Maggie's gaze and staring at the floor.

"It's alright, I think Ron had you beat," Maggie replied, pointing to the younger brother, who still remained frozen and posed to jump.

"At least there's that," Charlie said, sounding a bit cheerier. "Veela, huh? Never would have thought of that."

"They clearly didn't think about the safety risks – I think the Redback would have been a better option. Less likely to make a scene – at least half of the crowd wouldn't have swan-dived off the railings."

Charlie laughed, "Yeah, incineration would have been the only collateral."

"And now," Bagman's voice roared through the stadium, over the angry cries of the crowd. "Kindly put your wands in the air...for the Irish National Team Mascots!"

Maggie forced a smile as bright flashes of green and gold filled the air. Cheers echoed throughout the stadium as the green-and-gold comet split into two, before it formed a large shimmering shamrock that rose above the stands. The excitement increased as gold descended upon the stadium; heavy gold coins rained down from the soaring shamrock and spectators scrambled to retrieve the gold.

Leaning forward to catch a falling coin, Maggie's hand brushed against another's, who had clearly had the same idea. Maggie's cheeks blushed red as she realised that Charlie too had moved to catch the glittering gold, though he simply smiled. Maggie quickly drew back, the embarrassment inside her growing, though she didn't know why. A strange feeling rose throughout her body; it was a peculiar sensation that she didn't know how to explain.

A tap on her shoulder brought Maggie back to reality. She turned to see Charlie staring at her, the gold coin held between his fingers. He motioned to it with a small nod before smiling.

"It's only fair, you got there first," He said simply.

Though a part of her mind screamed against it, Maggie gently took the glittering gold coin, running her fingers over its smooth surface with a small smile. She looked up and brown eyes met blue.

"Thank you," She said, almost shyly.

The feeling in her heart grew. It felt like Maggie was soaring above the clouds, yet being dragged down into the sea, both at the same time. The commentator spoke up, announcing the Bulgarian team, drawing Maggie attention away from the gesture.

Her stomach felt like it was doing cartwheels and Maggie doubted it was because of the excitement of the match. The peculiar feeling settled in her stomach, almost like a small ache that you couldn't quite forget about.

She tried to push the rest of her feelings and thoughts away but for some reason, the image of Charlie's lovestruck expression he wore as he stared at the Veela came creeping back into her thoughts. Jealously flashed through her mind as the image circled her mind and it took a few moments for Maggie to even realise what she was thinking. The feeling was softened however, as her fingers brushed over the coin, and that strange feeling emerged once again. Lost in the ecstasy of her thoughts, Maggie's mind ran wild until an image of Joe flashed through her mind and her heart ached as though it was caught in a vice.

_Don't be so stupid, Maggie, _she scolded herself as the witch slipped the coin into her pocket. _It meant nothing; Charlie is a friend, that's all. You have Joe. One argument does not mean relationship over, you love each other! You do NOT like Charlie Weasley in that way. _

As Maggie pushed her thoughts away and tried to focus on the match, she missed the brief exchange of glances around her. Tonks' looked down at Maggie's distracted figure before her eyes darted over Charlie's head and found another pair of blue eyes.

A pair of blue eyes who had also witnessed the exchanges that evening.

With a determined nod, Nymphadora Tonks and Bill Weasley were on the same page and each began concocting ideas.

* * *

"Don't tell your mother you've been gambling," Mr Weasley implored the red-headed twins as they all made their way down the plush staircase.

Fred laughed and replied with a witty retort, but Maggie was at the tail-end of the group and didn't catch what he said. Tonks stood beside her, happily chatting away to Bill about the excitement of the match, leaving Maggie alone with her thoughts. She tried to focus on the epic final moments of the Quidditch match – Ireland had won despite the Bulgarian seeker, Krum, catching the snitch at the last moment.

But Maggie's thoughts kept drifting and the image of a familiar red-headed wizard swam through her mind.

Cursing her thoughts, Maggie looked down at the grass below her feet as she desperately looked anywhere but ahead, where the said wizard stood in front of her. Thankfully, Charlie was deep in discussion with Ron, who was gushing about how good of a seeker Viktor Krum was, giddy with excitement like a lovesick school girl. A small smile crept onto Maggie's lips as she watched Charlie's almost bewildered expression grow as Ron continued to chat.

He must have sensed Maggie's gaze as he turned. Their eyes met and Charlie's expression deepened into an amused chuckle. Maggie smiled as Charlie gave a hopeless roll of his eyes before sending her a crooked grin and turning back to Ron, who remained oblivious to the exchange.

Maggie shook her head, dispersing any thoughts that may have formed in her mind and focused on the atmosphere around her. Raucous singing flooded the air as they made their way back towards the tent. Leprechauns whizzed past overhead, cackling with glee and cartwheeling through the air. Despite her melancholic thoughts, Maggie was determined to enjoy herself – it was the Quidditch World Cup after all!

By this point, Tonks had finished her conversation with Bill and skipped over to where Maggie stood, a wide grin stretched across her lips. The sight of Tonks' giddiness made Maggie want to smile. Happily, Maggie grabbed her best friend's hands and the pair twirled round in excitement.

"Ireland! Ireland!" Tonks shouted as the pair danced round the lantern-lit path, narrowly avoiding a few spectators.

"You bet on Bulgaria winning, Nymph!" Maggie cried in amusement, shaking her head at the witch. "You can't just jump ship when your team loses!"

"I never supported Bulgaria! All I said was they stood a good chance of winning since they had Krum as a seeker!" Tonks argued with a grin. Ron looked as though he was going to add something, but Tonks quickly interjected. "Don't start with the whole 'he's the best seeker in the world' speech; I've already listened to it three times tonight!"

Though Ron looked down dejectedly, he was quickly distracted by Harry. Tonks shot the wizard a grateful smile just as they reached the campsite. Mr Weasley was kind enough to invite the two witches round for hot chocolate and, after exchanging a quick glance, Maggie and Tonks readily accepted the invitation. A small part of Maggie's mind screamed against the idea, but she pushed the thought away.

What harm could come from hot chocolate?

Still buzzed from the excitement of the match, Maggie found herself perched between Ginny and Hermione as she sipped her cocoa. The conversation mainly revolved around the match though Tonks and Bill deterred off the subject as they discussed the drawbacks of cursed objects and the legality surrounding them. Even Mr Weasley became involved in the excitement; he was drawn into a disagreement with Charlie about cobbing that left Maggie giggling from her spot as she watched the fiasco.

"Completely unethical; you can't claim to be a good Quidditch player when you resort to something so petty!" Mr Weasley argued though Charlie quickly shook his head in disagreement.

"It's not about poor sportsmanship, Dad. If someone's trying to knock you off your broom, are you really gonna sit there and let it happen?" Charlie pointed out, and the tips of Mr Weasley's ears reddened slightly.

"So, does that mean Maggie should be allowed to knock you off your broom as payback for when you knocked her off?" Fred piped up, a wicked glint in his eye.

"Yeah, Charlie," said George, his grin identical to Fred's. "It would only be fair, after all."

Charlie's face flushed red and he muttered something under his breath though it was indistinguishable. Maggie felt the heat rise to her cheeks as the conversation dimmed. Bill and Tonks let out identical chuckles which drew the attention of the younger witches and wizards, the majority of whom did not know to what the twins were referring to. Mr Weasley's expression grew slightly nervous, his eyes darting from Charlie to Maggie while Percy seemed almost oblivious to the conversation, focusing instead on some paperwork that had appeared.

"Yes, well..." Mr Weasley began, just as a clatter sounded through the tent, followed by a loud squeak.

Mr Weasley shot up, wand in hand, over to where Ginny's half-drunk hot chocolate had splattered the tiny table beside Maggie. Beside her, Ginny jolted up, her eyes wide in alarm but it was clear that the young witch had fallen asleep for a moment. The young witch began to mutter apologies as Mr Weasley quickly spelled away the mess, but it was at that point that Mr Weasley called it a night and insisted everyone went to bed.

Maggie was grateful for the distraction as it meant that the earlier topic of conversation was quickly dropped and hopefully forgotten. She avoided Charlie's eye as she scrambled out of the tent – Tonks two steps behind – and ushered Hermione and Ginny into their tent before the other witches retired to theirs.

After offering Tonks a quick 'goodnight', Maggie quickly changed into her nightclothes – which consisted of an old pair of Joe's shorts and a 'AC/DC' t-shirt that Tonks had bought her for Christmas – before snuggling into the warm covers of her bed. She was asleep in seconds, the excitement of the day quickly catching up with her.

It felt like her eyes had only been closed for a moment before a rough shove swiftly woke Maggie up.

"S'going?" Maggie yawned, her voice full of sleepiness. "I'm not on an early shift..." She remembered being at the Quidditch World Cup before her eyes grew heavy and her head fell back onto the pillow.

"Maggie, you need to wake up!" Tonks exclaimed, the panic clear in her tone. "Seriously, get your arse out of bed; hurry up!"

The urgency in Tonks voice prompted Maggie to startle herself awake. Despite still being half-asleep and dazed, Maggie managed to reach for her hoodie, pulling it over her head as she quickly thrust on her shoes, muttering a quick spell to tie them. The tent was still dark; Maggie's first tell-tale sign that something was seriously wrong. Though her eyes and mind were still groggy from sleep, the blonde witch realised that the ever-increasing noise coming from outside the tent were actually screams and the witch willed herself to wake up.

Scrambling forward in a daze, Maggie quickly followed Tonks out of the tent and her eyes widened in horror as her vision took in the chaos that surrounded them. While a few fires continued to burn, creating a reddish hue that settled in the air, the sky was lit with curses and filled with terrified screams of spectators who only hours earlier, had been screaming celebratory cheers.

Maggie couldn't help the gasp that escaped her lips, watching the events that surrounded her in fear. Bangs that sounded like gunfire echoed overhead and Maggie noticed the swarm of people heading towards the forest, away from where the drunken jeers and roaring laughter came from. Despite her small stature, Maggie could vaguely make out a group of hooded wizards, their faces covered by dark masks with snake-like slits, in the centre of the chaos, their wands raised towards the sky.

It was only then Maggie notice the four floating figures that contorted into grotesque shapes.

The flickering red-orange lights of the simmering fires illuminated the silhouettes faces, and Maggie's stomach churned in horror when she recognised the flailing figure of Mr Roberts, the campsite owner, and what Maggie presumed to be his wife and two young children. The sound of Death Eaters' roaring jeer as the youngest child was spun round like a top was enough to snap Maggie out of her terror-induced daze. She turned to face Tonks, who motioned to the tent next door.

"Come on! We have to help!" Tonks exclaimed, just as Mr Weasley ran out of the tent.

"Get the girls!" He shouted towards the witches, before heading back into the tent, no doubt to rouse the rest of the party.

Giving Tonks a quick nod, Maggie ran into the neighbouring tent, thankful that it was so small. She quickly found the sleeping forms of Ginny and Hermione, giving each girl a quick shake to rouse them before grabbing their jackets.

"Quickly, come on!" Maggie urged the pair, ignoring their mumbled questions. "We don't have time, we have to get out of here. Shoes on - quick – let's go!"

Maggie led the pair out of the tent, finding Mr Weasley already assembled with the boys. She motioned for Hermione and Ginny to join them, offering Mr Weasley a quick nod of reassurance. Her hand was still resting on Ginny's shoulder – whether it be to comfort Ginny or herself, Maggie did not know.

It was at that moment that Bill, Charlie, and Percy emerged from the tent, wands at the ready and more importantly – _fully dressed_. Even the seriousness of the atmosphere could not disguise Maggie's embarrassment as she looked down at her attire. She cursed herself for not realising the gravity of the situation, wishing that she had chosen a better pair of shorts as nightwear and a more appropriate jumper with fewer stains and holes. Or just a pair of trousers that didn't display her pale legs to the world.

Despite the situation, Maggie could feel people staring at her, no doubt because of how short her pyjama shorts were, and her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Grimacing slightly, her eyes darted up, catching the gaze of the very last person she wanted to see at that moment. Though she didn't think it possible, Maggie's face flushed even more but at least Charlie had the decency to look away, as pink tinged his cheeks.

"We're going to help the Ministry!" Mr Weasley shouted to the younger witches and wizards, though his voice was nearly lost amongst the noise. "You lot – get to the woods and _stick together_. I'll come and fetch you when we've sorted this out!"

At Mr Weasley's words, Maggie turned to look at Tonks with a determined expression. The witches shared a brief look before Tonks replied with an unswerving nod and the pair sprinted after Mr Weasley, who was flanked by Bill, Charlie and Percy. As she ran towards the chaos, a thought flickered through Maggie's mind and she gave a silent thanks for all those hours she had spent helping Tonks practice for her Auror examinations.

All those hours of duelling would finally pay off.

Rogue curses flashed by and Maggie narrowly jumped to avoid being hit before sending her own hex in the direction it came from. Tonks was to her left, admittedly in her element, as Maggie saw first hand what made Tonks such a good Auror. She kept calm, carefully aimed her hexes and was always ready with a shield charm, something that Maggie needed to remember.

Charlie appeared in Maggie's line of vision, falling in place on her right while Bill flanked his figure. Strangely enough, the sight of the Weasley brothers came as a comfort to Maggie. Maggie reasoned it was because they both faced danger on a daily basis in their jobs – Bill as a curse breaker and Charlie as a Dragonologist – while Maggie only dealt with the aftermath of such dangers. She tried to ignore how her heart flickered when Charlie fired a shield charm near to Maggie when a curse came dangerously close to hitting her arm.

Despite their best efforts, Maggie realised they were fighting a losing battle. They were alarmingly outnumbered, even with the Ministry reinforcements that had appeared. She gritted her teeth, however, and fought on, this time with even more determination than before. As the masked crowd grew bigger, the Weasleys' spread out further, trying to contain the chaos.

"Flipendo!" Maggie cried as a streak of yellow light flew from her wand.

A small smile graced her lips when a masked figure stumbled back after the spell hit its target. Though he quickly recovered, his mask fell, revealing his face and Maggie felt her blood run cold when she realised who the figure behind the mask was.

The years had not been kind to Scaboir and even though it had been five years, Maggie felt like a scared little school girl staring at her childhood bully. Something flickered through Scaboir's eyes when his gaze met Maggie's, and that sinister smirk that Maggie swore she would never fear again slowly crept to his lips.

Maggie's head whipped around, and a groan nearly escaped her lips when she realised Tonks was no longer by her side. Instead, the witch was a little way off, engaged in a heated duel with two masked Death Eaters.

A flash of red quickly snapped Maggie from her thoughts. She barely had time to block the spell with a _protego_ charm, before Scaboir's daunting figure stepped into her vision. Swallowing her nerves, Maggie stood ready, quickly casting a jinx before Scaboir gained the upper hand. Though he was still a few meters away, Maggie heard his growl of annoyance, even through the screams and shouts around them.

"I've been waiting a long time for this, Mudblood," Scaboir snarled, before he quickly sent another hex towards Maggie, which she narrowly avoided. "No one here to help you now."

Maggie's eyes narrowed at his words and she promptly sent a stunning spell towards Scaboir, but he was quick to deflect it with a wicked laugh. In the blink of an eye, Scaboir sent another spell towards her. This time, however, Maggie was a moment to slow and a flash of red hit her square in the chest, engulfing her in pain and knocking her to the floor.

Pain flooded through every inch of Maggie's body. It was the worst pain she'd ever experienced – her skin felt as though it was on fire yet being stabbed repeatedly at the same time. She writhed round in the grass, the pain unbearable. Though she tried her hardest to contain it, a scream escaped her lips. Her screams Scaboir's wicked cackle were the only things Maggie could hear.

"Maggie!" A new voice joined the noise, but Maggie could not place it. The pain ripped through her body and for a brief, stupid moment, Maggie wondered if this was the end (in any other circumstance, she would have cursed her melodramatics).

Suddenly, the pain stopped. Maggie gasped for air as she struggled to sit up. She heard Scaboir's shouts and looked up just in time to see him storming away. Her breathing grew heavy as she took a moment to process what had just happened.

"Maggie!"

Maggie's head snapped round to see who had called her name and her eyes widened in alarm when she saw a group of people running towards her. They did not look like they would stop – the fear evident across their features – but Maggie still struggled to stand. Instead, she opted for the only thing she could do and quickly rolled over to avoid being trampled.

For the most part, it worked. Her body avoided the fury of the crowd's feet, but her leg was another story. She hissed in pain as her leg was crushed by a parade of feet, but she found some semblance in the fact it was only her leg and not her entire body.

"Maggie!" Charlie appeared beside her, his arms pulling her into a tight hug. "Are you alright?"

"For the most part," Maggie said with a tight expression. "I might have a broken leg but it's better than the Cruciatus curse."

Charlie's expression turned dark and Maggie almost flinched at the sight. She looked down at her leg and tried to assess the damage but there was only so much she could check. Her lower leg was covered in a dark blue bruise, but it was her ankle that worried Maggie most; it was red and swelling, and even in the darkness of night, Maggie could make out specks of blood. Cautiously, she tried to move her leg but hissed as pain flooded throughout her joint.

At this, Charlie snapped out of his thoughts.

"Oh shit!" He exclaimed, noticing Maggie's leg.

"It's fine, really," Despite her injury, Maggie felt the need to deflect the attention. Charlie sent her a questioning look.

"Maggie, your ankle's bleeding!"

Maggie blushed at the intensity of his words and ducked her head. From the corner of her eye, she saw Charlie shaking his head and something flooded through her stomach. It almost felt like guilt, but she couldn't place the feeling.

"Help me up?" Maggie asked, trying to change the tone of the conversation.

Charlie sighed, clearly unconvinced about her injuries but gave a nod. His hands rested on her arms and Maggie's cheeks flushed in embarrassment. Slowly, Charlie helped Maggie to her feet, and it was going well until Maggie leaned on her bad leg.

"Motherf-" Maggie swore as pain ripped through her leg.

"Are you okay? What's wrong?" Charlie frantically asked but Maggie quickly waved his concerns away.

"It's nothing, just misjudged how bad my leg was," Maggie muttered.

Charlie looked unconvinced and his lips parted to question her further when a cry tore through the crowd.

"It's the Dark Mark!"

Both Maggie and Charlie looked up in alarm. Maggie's eyes widened in shock as a colossal emerald skull with a serpent protruding from its mouth like a tongue floated above the treetops, illuminating the chaos in a grisly green hue.

Eyes wide with horror, Maggie turned to look at Charlie. His expression mirrored her own and she felt her stomach sink.

"Come on," Charlie muttered as he led Maggie away, half-carrying her. "We need to find Dad."


	18. Chapter 18

**Author's Note \- It's a Saturday update! **

**I hope everyone is having a lovely March, and that this update adds an extra ray of sunshine on your day (it's currently raining where I am so here's hoping the weather is nicer where you are!). Thank you for all the love for the last chapter - I really had a blast writing it! And a massive thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favourited or followed this story, it always makes my day!**

**This chapter ties up the Quidditch World Cup but don't you worry, the drama is far from over! I especially enjoyed writing the latter half of this chapter as there is extra drama and a surprise appearance.**

**Hope you all enjoy - don't forget to review and follow!**

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_We fail to say the right words, because we choose to say the wrong words! We choose to say the wrong words, because we fail to think about the right words!_

\- _**Ernest Agyemang Yeboah**_

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_August 1994_

The sight of the Dark Mark sent chaos throughout the campground but surprisingly enough, it was the Death Eaters who seemed most perturbed by the sight. Many of them quickly Disapparated, leaving surprised Ministry employees to mop up the damage. The Roberts' family were quickly rescued, and some semblance of order was returned to the atmosphere, though it was still tense. As the Dark Mark floated higher and the screams intensified, Maggie found Charlie's arms to be comforting – almost like a security blanket wrapped around her.

They exchanged shocked glances before Charlie muttered something indistinguishable and his head whipped around, searching for the rest of his family. He cursed and it was at that moment, that Maggie felt absolutely useless. If she hadn't have gotten hurt, Charlie would be at his family's side, instead of having to guide Maggie round like an invalid!

Together, the pair managed to find their way through the chaos and back to their tents – Charlie half-carrying Maggie as she hobbled along. All the while, they both scanned the campsite, searching for their friends and family. They walked in silence; the heavy atmosphere left neither one of them wanting to speak.

Eventually, they found their way back to the Weasley tent. Thankfully, all three tents remained intact, a stark comparison to further down the campsite, where many tents had been reduced to ash. Maggie gave a cry of relief when she saw Tonks stood in front of the tent, alongside Bill and Percy. Tonks' hair had turned to her mundane mousey-brown – something it only did when she was worried.

"Maggie!" Tonks exclaimed when she saw the pair. She rushed forward, her body slamming into Maggie's as she brought the small witch into a tight hug. "What the hell?"

"Merlin, Nymph, let a witch breathe, why don't you?" Maggie tried to laugh but it came out hoarse.

Tonks pulled away, staring at Maggie with annoyance. "How many bloody times are you going to get hurt? I swear we should just book a bed for you at St Mungo's!"

"And you'll be in the one beside me," Maggie said with a wink, having chirped up slightly. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," Tonks said quickly before looking over her shoulder. "Listen, I've been called in – this whole thing's chaos and they've pulled everyone in," Tonks' gaze flickered towards Charlie. "Are you okay staying with the Weasleys? It's utter chaos and I don't know when I'll be off shift-"

"Nymph, it's fine," Maggie interjected before her fellow witch got too wound up. "I'll heal this when I get back to the tent – I don't have nearly the correct supplies with me though - and apparate home -"

"You can't apparate on that leg!" Charlie's exclamation was a surprise and both Maggie and Tonks turned to look at the wizard, in a mix of confusion and curiosity. The tips of Charlie's ears turned red as he realised his outburst was louder than he had intended, and he quickly continued.

"Apparating on a broke leg, even if it is healed, isn't a good idea, you could do some serious damage," Charlie pointed out as the witches continued to stare at him. "We've got a portkey – you can floo back from the Burrow and it won't strain your leg."

Maggie blinked as Charlie's words sunk in. Dumbfounded for a moment, she looked over at Tonks, who appeared deep in thought. After a few moments of silence, the mousey-hair witch spoke up.

"It's not a bad idea," She said slowly, looking over at Maggie. "At least you won't be alone?"

Maggie shrugged her shoulder and gave a small smile. "You're needed at work. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."

Tonks bit her lip before turning to face Charlie. "If anything happens to her, I'm coming after you," She said, her tone playful yet serious.

"Of course," Charlie nodded.

Tonks exchanged a hurried goodbye, pulling Maggie into a tight hug before sprinting off into the crowd, which was more controlled by this point due to the presence of ministry officials. After a moment, Charlie suggested they head inside which Maggie fervently agreed to. His arm wrapped around Maggie's waist as he helped guide her into the tent and they made a beeline for the kitchen, where Bill and Percy was sat.

At the sight of Bill's profusely bleeding arm and Percy's bloody nose, Maggie went into instant Healer mode. Charlie helped her to a chair, grabbing another to prop her leg up.

"_Accio_ bag," Maggie whipped out her wand and quickly muttered. The bag zoomed into the room and Maggie began to pull out various bottles and bandages. "Right, Bill first. Sit there where I can reach," Maggie gestured to the empty chair beside her.

"Are you mad?" Charlie exclaimed. "You should be checking your leg before anything - don't worry about him!"

"Thanks, Charlie. I feel so loved," Bill drawled dully but Charlie quickly waved him off.

"Maggie can't even stand up; she shouldn't be healing your arm before she's even looked at her own injury!" Charlie argued.

"She has a name?" Maggie interjected with annoyance. "And for your information, I am perfectly fine."

Charlie rolled his eyes. "Yes, because the human leg is supposed to be that colour. A very lovely shade of purple!"

"I can fix Bill's arm in a heartbeat!" Maggie snapped as she grabbed a roll of gauze. "It'll take all of two minutes."

"If it'll only take two minutes, you can leave it till later," Charlie pointed out, crossing his arms.

Maggie was about to retort when Bill spoke up.

"To be fair, Maggie, your leg does look pretty sore," He reasoned, his eyes darting between Maggie and Charlie as he spoke almost cautiously. "Mine's not too bad, I'd rather you sort yourself out before you worry about me."

At Bill's words, Charlie turned to Maggie with a triumphant grin. Maggie's eyes narrowed but she agreed to Bill's terms and turned her attention towards her injured leg. She pulled out her wand and muttered a spell that would check for any broken bones, hissing when she discovered multiple fractures in her ankle.

Using magic when possible, Maggie tried to fix as much of her leg as she could, though it was difficult as she did not have all the potions she needed. She reasoned that she could get the potions she needed from home the following day – the major one being Skel-Gro – but in the meantime, Maggie had to make do with setting the bone the muggle way and hobbling around.

"Right, I've done all I can," Maggie said, turning to face Charlie. "Before you say anything, it's not fully healed – I've not got everything. So, can I start helping other people now?"

Charlie snarked out a quiet reply before Bill spoke up and took the seat next to Maggie. As she worked to heal Bill's arm – admittedly, it took longer than she originally reasoned – Fred, George and Ginny entered the tent, looking shaken but unharmed. Charlie busied himself by making tea, and despite their frosty interactions, Maggie quickly excepted the mug.

Once Bill was mostly healed – he still needed the bedsheet to mop up the blood – Maggie gestured to Percy who took Bill's vacant seat. A broken nose was easily fixed, and Maggie quickly used a simple '_episkey'_ charm to heal his broken nose. He quietly thanked her just as Mr Weasley entered the tent, followed by Harry, Ron and Hermione.

"Did you get them, Dad?" Bill quickly asked as Maggie turned in her chair to hear Mr Weasley's response. "The person who conjured the Mark?"

"No," Mr Weasley shook his head. "We found Barty Crouch's elf holding Harry's wand but we're none the wiser about who actually conjured the Mark."

"What?" Maggie's voice joined in as she and the three elder brothers looked between Mr Weasley and Harry in shock.

The trio helped Mr Weasley to tell the story of what had happened in the woods; explaining how the house-elf of a Ministry Official had been found with Harry's wand, which had been used to cast the Mark. Throughout the explanation, Percy's expression grew more baffled at the idea and even Maggie had to admit, the story was hard to believe.

"Well, Mr Crouch is quite right to get rid of an elf like that!" Percy exclaimed indignantly. "Running away when he'd expressly told her not to...embarrassing him in front of the whole Ministry...how would that have looked, if she'd been had up in front of the Department of Regulation and Control..."

"She didn't do anything – she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time!" Hermione snapped at Percy, who looked fairly taken back.

Maggie had to agree with Hermione – the poor elf had no doubt been terrified at the surrounding events and had done the only logical thing. It was rum luck that she had ended up in the position that she had. Maggie felt pity run throughout; the poor house-elf, she had only been trying to escape the chaos!

The conversation turned away from Crouch's elf and onto the topic of the Dark Mark. Neither Ron or Harry knew what it stood for, and Maggie reasoned there were a few others in the tent who didn't either.

"Ron, You-Know-Who and his followers sent the Dark Mark into the air whenever they killed," Mr Weasley explained. "The terror it inspired...you have no idea, you're too young. Just picture coming home, and finding the Dark Mark hovering over your house, and knowing what you're about to find inside...Everyone's worst fear...the very worst."

The room grew silent as they took in the gravity of Mr Weasley's words. Though she was raised in the Muggle world, Maggie was no stranger to the fear that the Dark Mark inspired. Having started Hogwarts only a few years after the fall of You-Know-Who, Maggie had seen the fear it incited – classmates terrified by anything remotely resembling the Mark.

"Well, it didn't help us tonight, whoever conjured it," Bill spoke up, his voice breaking the silence. "It scared the Death Eaters away the moment they saw it. They all Disapparated before we'd got near enough to unmask any of them. We caught the Robertses' before they hit the ground though. They're having their memories modified right now."

As Harry asked who the Death Eaters were, Maggie's mind flashed back to earlier that night. She had in fact, unmasked a Death Eater, though part of Maggie wished she hadn't. Scaboir was the same age as her, meaning he had been too young to join the Death Eaters during the War. That left only one explanation; had the Death Eaters planned this? It would explain Scaboir presence – of course, he would join any pureblood supremacy society. His beady snake eyes haunted her thoughts and for a moment, Maggie was sixteen again, staring down Scaboir before he hexed her and the world turned dark.

Maggie stared down at the table, almost despondent. A hand rested on her shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Eyebrows knitted in confusion, Maggie looked up to see Charlie stood beside her, a sympathetic smile stretched across his features. As her brown eyes met his blue, it felt as though Charlie knew exactly what Maggie was thinking. Strangely enough, his presence was soothing at help put her mind at ease – she responded with a small, grateful smile.

"So... whoever conjured the Dark Mark...were they doing it to show support for the Death Eaters or to scare them away?" Hermione's question drew Maggie's attention back as she pondered the theory.

"Your guess is as good as ours, Hermione," said Mr Weasley tiredly.

"But I'll tell you this... it was only the Death Eaters who ever knew how to conjure it. I'd be very surprised if the person who did it hadn't been a Death Eater once, even if they're not now...Listen, it's very late, and if your mother hears what's happened, she'll be worried sick. We'll get a few more hours sleep and then try to get an early Portkey out of here."

As everyone headed to bed, Maggie sat for a moment as Mr Weasley turned to face her. She was aware that Charlie was still behind her but at least his hand was gone from her shoulder.

"Dad, Maggie's ankle is broken, and Tonks has been called in. She can't apparate with her bad leg so I said she could catch a Portkey with us and floo back from home?" Charlie explained as Maggie's gaze darted from the red-headed wizard to his father.

Mr Weasley gave a small smile and nodded. "Of course. Would you mind sleeping in the girls' tent? I don't want them to be alone with everything that's happened," He asked, and Maggie nodded.

"Of course," She replied, grateful that she wouldn't be alone. "And thank you, Mr Weasley, I'm sorry to be a pain."

"It's no bother, Maggie," Mr Weasley insisted. "Thank you for earlier and thank you for looking after the girls."

Hermione and Ginny appeared, and Mr Weasley explained that Maggie would be sleeping in their tent. The girls offered to help Maggie into the tent, but Charlie spoke up.

"I got it," He said before scooping Maggie up in his arms. Once again, Maggie's cheeks flushed from embarrassment – or it may have been due to the physical closeness – and Charlie carried Maggie into the other tent, Hermione and Ginny trailing behind him. He gently placed Maggie on the couch, before hurrying off to grab her a pillow and blanket, despite Maggie's protests.

"If you need anything, just shout," Charlie said as he handed Maggie a thick blanket. "Good night."

"Hey, Charlie?" Maggie called as Charlie headed towards the door. He turned on his heel and looked at Maggie with a confused expression. "I just wanted to say thank you – for before. And, well, for everything really."

"It's fine, Maggie," Charlie began but Maggie cut him off.

"No, seriously, I mean it," Maggie insisted, meeting his gaze. "You've got a habit of being there when I find myself in a fix."

"Is it a good or a bad habit?" Charlie asked with a grin and Maggie smiled, tilting her head in thought.

"I haven't quite decided yet," Maggie replied, her smile growing. "I'll let you know when I figure that part out."

Charlie chuckled before the pair wished each other good night. As Maggie reached to turn the light off and rested her head against the pillow, she could not help but feel alone. She wondered what Joe was doing, and whether he knew about all the chaos that had ensured.

As sleep slowly overcame her, the image of Joe in her mind slowly changed to Charlie but she was too tired to question it.

* * *

Maggie drifted in and out of a fitful sleep. In her dreams, images of Scaboir's snake-like eyes were always watching, while Charlie carried her through into the eerie darkness, only to look up to find herself in Scaboir's arms, unable to move ...

It was still dark when Maggie awoke but it was slightly lighter in the tent, signaling that dawn was near. After lying still for a few moments, trying to push away her dreams that still circled her mind, Maggie heard Mr Weasley enter the tent and quietly tell the girls it was time to go. From the adjoining room, she could hear Ginny and Hermione's quiet mumbles as the pair slowly rose.

Pushing herself up into a sitting position, Maggie threw the blanket off her form and winced when she noticed the state of her leg. While it was no longer bleeding, her ankle was a patchwork of red, blue and purple, and there were clear signs of swelling around the joint. With a sigh, Maggie tried to stand but the burning pain from her ankle as she put pressure on her foot sent Maggie collapsing back onto the couch, wincing in pain.

Thankfully, Ginny appeared by the couch and carefully helped Maggie to change the dressing that bound her ankle. After vanishing away the old, bloody bandages, Maggie grabbed her hoodie and managed to shimmy on a clean pair of cropped denim jeans which were thankfully less revealing than the pair of shorts she previously wore. Her shoes were another matter however, as the swelling of her ankle meant that her Doc Martens were unwearable. Ginny managed to find a battered pair of old flat pumps in the bottom of Maggie's rucksack which were easily slipped onto Maggie's feet.

With the help of Ginny and Hermione, Maggie managed to hobble out of the tent, leaning on the two girls for support. Once outside, Mr Weasley hurried them along as he quickly used magic to pack up the tents, handing Maggie Tonks' tent for safekeeping. Eyes still dazed from tiredness, the blonde witch did not notice Charlie's presence until he appeared beside her.

"Here," He said, gesturing to Hermione and Ginny. "I'll take her – it'll be easier."

"I'm not a total invalid," Maggie muttered as Charlie slinked an arm around her waist for support.

Charlie chuckled. "I know. Don't worry, I'll send you a bill for my services," He joked, and Maggie cracked a smile.

Once the tents were packed away, the group left the campsite as quickly as they could. Maggie and Charlie brought up the rear – Maggie's injured ankle meant that she had to limp along at a slow pace, despite using Charlie for support. She hissed in discomfort when her ankle buckled as she accidentally leaned on it, sending a throbbing pain throughout her leg.

"This isn't working," said Charlie as they stopped for a moment to let Maggie recover.

"I'm fine, honestly," Maggie tried to argue. "I just need a minute."

"We're going to fall behind if we go on like this," Charlie pointed out. "Here, I've got an idea. And before you say anything, there's no point being stubborn about it, you'll only damage your ankle even more by walking on it."

Maggie frowned as Charlie whistled Bill over, instructing him to support Maggie for a moment as his arm slid away from her waist. Frowning, Maggie watched in confusion as Charlie turned away from her and crouched down.

"What are you doing?" She asked, her tone wary.

"Isn't it obvious?" Charlie replied, looking up over his shoulder with a wide grin. "Piggyback."

"You've got to be joking," said Maggie incredulously.

"Do I look like I'm joking?" Charlie grinned as a flicker of amusement flashed through his eyes. "Now, hop on."

"No way!" Maggie exclaimed, shaking her head vehemently.

"It is a good idea," Bill pointed out with an amused smile. "It means we won't be slowed down anymore.

"Oi!"

"You two were falling behind," Bill said, holding his hands up in defence. "Dad's already quite antsy, we don't want to make it worse by getting lost."

Maggie bit back a sigh. As much as she hated to admit it, Bill had a point. The Weasley family were already helping her out – she didn't want to put any more pressure on the family because she was too slow to keep up. With a defeated sigh, Maggie nodded.

"Fine," She conceded, looking at Charlie warily. "But if you drop me, I'll hex to all the way back to Romania."

Charlie playfully rolled his eyes. "You have no faith in me!"

While it was awkward at first, Maggie had to admit that this idea was better. Bill helped her to manoeuvre her way onto Charlie's back and she hesitantly wrapped her arms around his shoulders as he slowly rose. Her legs fell around Charlie's waist and the wizard carefully looped his arms round them, securing Maggie in place.

They were quick to catch up with the rest of the group – Charlie seeming unaffected by carrying Maggie's weight. The blonde witch's cheeks burned red once again, from both embarrassment and that annoying feeling that flowed through her body. Once again, she cursed her earlier injury and tried to push away the rouge thoughts that circled her mind. Being so close to Charlie didn't help either – she could feel the heat radiating from his body, the supple firmness of his muscles, even the musky smell of his cologne...

Maggie was grateful that they reached the spot where the Portkeys lay, as she was having a hard time trying to ignore her infuriating thoughts. No matter how many times she convinced herself to ignore Charlie and focus on Joe, her mind was brought back to reality and the wizard who was currently carrying her.

By the time they managed to secure a Portkey, the sun had partly risen, casting a dull light over the campground. Crowds of people eager to get away from the campsite as quickly as possible were all around, clambering to get a Portkey away from the nightmare.

In the morning light, Maggie caught a better look at the damage inflicted the previous night and her stomach rolled at the sight. They past Mr Roberts – the campsite owner – on their way past, appearing dazed, and he waved them off with a mumble of 'Merry Christmas'.

"I hope he's alright," Maggie said quietly to Charlie, leaning closer so that he could hear. "Him, and his poor family. They didn't deserve that.

Charlie shook his head. "No, it was wrong place, wrong time and they drew the short straw," He replied, his voice low and sober.

"I hope they catch whoever did it," said Maggie, her eyes flickering to the ground.

"As much as I do too, I know they won't," Charlie sighed, shaking his head. "The Death Eaters last night were no doubt the ones who lied and bribed their way out of prosecution after the war – they'll most likely do the same again."

Maggie remained silent, Charlie's words ringing true in her ears. Thankfully, before anything else could be said, Mr Weasley beckoned them over. The group gathered round an old rubber tyre. Charlie gently placed Maggie down, his arm wrapping round her middle to support her once again. They quickly grabbed the Portkey and despite her injured ankle, Maggie managed to remain standing when they were pulled away from the campground in a whirl of colour – a small achievement that Maggie accepted.

Charlie once again offered to carry her back to the Burrow and despite her earlier protests, Maggie accepted his offer as her ankle began to throb from the Portkey travel. They arrived at Stoatshead Hill – Ginny helpfully informed Maggie where their Portkey was going earlier that morning – as the sun began to rise, signaling the early hour.

Charlie quietly explained to Maggie that the village they trekked through was called 'Ottery St Catchpole' and was the nearest muggle village to his childhood home. The early hour meant that no one else was around, leaving the group in silence as they walked through the village, exhausted. Eventually, the village led off into open fields and a single-track road, at which point they rounded a corner in the lane and a building came into view.

Nested amongst rolling hills and green meadows, The Burrow was clearly a wizarding house – it was several stories high and there was undoubtedly numerous charms in place to prevent the crooked house from toppling over. Oddly enough however, it looked homely and cosy, with multiple chimneys emerging from the cobbled roof and sash windows decorated the walls.

"Oh, thank goodness, thank goodness!"

A cry rang through the air and Maggie's head snapped away from the building before her. A short, plump woman with flaming fiery red hair and warm brown eyes came running towards them. Maggie reasoned this to be Charlie's mother, Mrs Weasley. It was clear that she had been worried sick about her family – her face was pale and strained and she wore bedroom slippers as she hurried towards them. If Maggie had to guess, the woman had been waiting anxiously for her family to return, no doubt having heard about the chaos at the World Cup from the newspaper, which she had clutched in her hand.

She flung herself into Mr Weasley's arms, dropping the paper as she did. From her vantage point, Maggie recognised the newspaper to be _The Daily Prophet_. The headline screamed the words 'SCENES OF TERROR AT THE WORLD CUP', and Maggie found herself feeling grateful that her father was a muggle – he would be happily oblivious to the events of the previous night until Maggie told him.

"You're all alright..." Mrs Weasley muttered as she turned her gaze towards her children. "You're alive...oh boys..."

She seized Fred and George and pulled them into a tight hug, and from the shocked expressions on the rest of the Weasleys' faces, Maggie guessed this was unexpected.

"Ouch! Mum, you're strangling us!"

"I shouted at you before you left!" Mrs Weasley began to sob, pulling the boys in tighter. "It's all I've been thinking about! What if You-Know-Who had got you, and the last thing I ever said to you was that you didn't get enough O. ? Oh Fred...George..."

"Come now, Molly, we're all perfectly okay," said Mr Weasley, soothingly rubbing his wife's shoulder as he prised her from the twins. "Bill, pick up that paper, I want to see what it says..."

Mr Weasley began to herd everyone indoors which was a tricky feat as Mrs Weasley began to hug each of her children as they entered the house, Harry and Hermione included. Charlie hung back as Maggie was still on his back and the blonde witch's stomach did somersaults at the awkwardness of the situation. It was only when Mrs Weasley turned to hug Charlie, that the elder witch noticed Maggie's presence.

"And who are you, dear?" Mrs Weasley asked, not unkindly. Maggie felt her cheeks flush as the attention was put on her and she tried her best to smile.

"I'm Maggie," She replied softly, wishing that Charlie would put her down. "I went to school with Charlie – I'm sorry to intrude but-"

"Maggie got hurt at the World Cup," Charlie chirped in, motioning to the reddish-blue bruise on her ankle. "She couldn't apparate so I send she could Floo home from ours...Dad said it was alright -"

"Of course, it's alright dear!" Mrs Weasley exclaimed, her eyes flickering from Charlie to Maggie. "Come right in, follow me now -"

It was only when they were crammed in the tiny kitchen did Charlie finally put Maggie down. After sending Ron a meaningful glare to move, Charlie gestured for Maggie to take the empty seat. Ron grumbled, moving to stand near to Harry as there weren't enough chairs for them all to sit. Maggie tried to protest but both Charlie and Mrs Weasley waved away her words.

While Hermione busied herself with making Mrs Weasley a cup of tea – Mr Weasley suggested pouring in a shot of Firewhiskey to calm the witch's nerves – Mrs Weasley took the vacant seat beside Maggie, offering the girl a kind smile. Bill handed his father the newspaper and the elder wizard began to read it, while Percy scanned the words from over his shoulder.

"I knew it," Mr Weasley said tiredly. "Ministry blunders...culprits not apprehended...lax security...Dark wizards running unchecked...national disgrace... Who wrote this? Ah...of course...Rita Skeeter."

As Percy rambled about Skeeter's vendetta about the Ministry, Maggie grimaced, her nose wrinkling in disgust at the sound of the vile woman's name. Skeeter had torn Joe to shreds in her article about his accident – not to mention, completely misspelled Maggie's name! Though she was too tired to voice her opinion, Maggie found herself disagreeing with Percy's opinion. Skeeter didn't have a vendetta against the Ministry – she liked to stir the gossip on any platform, as long as it got people talking.

"Do us a favour, Perce," Bill yawned. "And shut up."

"I'm mentioned," Mr Weasley said suddenly, his eyes widening in surprise.

"Where?" Mrs Weasley spluttered, choking on her tea. Some liquid splashed on the table, so Maggie quickly spelled it away, earning a kind smile from the elder witch. "Thank you, dear. If I'd seen that, Arthur, I would have know you were alive!"

"Not by name," said Mr Weasley before he read aloud the extract. Once he'd finished, he sighed. "Molly, I'm going to have to go into the office, this is going to take some smoothing over."

"I'll come with you, Father," Percy said importantly, holding his head up high. "Mr Crouch will need all hands on deck. And I can give him my report in person."

Maggie caught Charlie's eye from across the table and she stifled a giggle when Charlie rolled his eyes at his brother. Percy did not notice however as he quickly bustled out of the kitchen.

"Arthur, you're supposed to be on holiday!" Mrs Weasley exclaimed. "This hasn't got anything to do with your office, surely they can handle this without you?"

"I've got to go, Molly," said Mr Weasley as he rose to his feet. "I've made things worse. I'll just change into my robes and I'll be off..."

As Mr Weasley left the kitchen, Harry spoke up, asking Mrs Weasley if any post had arrived. Maggie's eyes flickered down to her watch and when she realised the time, she reasoned she'd better head off. From across the table, Charlie noticed and with a small smile, rose to help her up.

"I'll manage," She insisted, hopping towards where the fireplace stood. "It's only a few feet."

"Are you sure you wouldn't like to stay for a cup of tea?" Mrs Weasley chirped up, appearing beside Maggie. "Or a spot of breakfast? It's still early – Merlin knows with all that happened last night, you're bound to be famished."

"I'm fine, Mrs Weasley. I've intruded enough," said Maggie, with a small smile.

"It's no bother dear, you should be resting with your ankle in that state -" Mrs Weasley began but Maggie hurriedly cut her off.

"Honestly, Mrs Weasley, I really can't," Maggie said, her eyes flickering towards Charlie with a pleading look. "I should be getting home, Dad will be worried sick..."

Though she appeared slightly dejected, Mrs Weasley finally accepted Maggie's answer.

"Alright, dear. Perhaps another time?" She said softly and Maggie quickly gave a hurried nod.

She managed to hobble over to where the fireplace stood, Charlie beside it. She offered him an amused smirk and Charlie playfully shook his head.

"I'm sorry about that," He said with a chuckle. "Mum's not one to shy away from people – she's got a habit of taking in people and mothering them."

"I can see where you get it from then?" Maggie said playfully, cocking her head in an impish fashion. "What is my bill, then? Let's settle it now."

Charlie chuckled. "Let's call it quits, in light of you having the pleasure of Mum trying to swaddle you. I'd say that's probably payment enough."

Maggie laughed at his words, feeling the tingling feeling flush throughout her. For a moment, she didn't want to leave and was half tempted to take up Mrs Weasley's offer and stay for breakfast. But then an image of Joe flashed through her mind; he'd undoubtedly be worried sick, waiting anxiously for her return.

"I should get going," Maggie said slowly, her gaze flickering towards the floor. "Probably a good idea – I would murder someone for that Skel-Gro now."

Charlie smiled before grabbing a plant pot filled with Floo powder and holding it out towards Maggie. With a small, slightly sad smile, Maggie grabbed a handful before hopping into the fireplace. As she leaned against the chimney wall for support, she turned back and met Charlie's gaze.

"See you around, Weasley," Maggie said with a tight grin. "And remember – I don't want to have to go to Romania for any post-mortems."

Barking out a laugh, Charlie shook his head. "I'll be careful, don't you worry. Anyway, I might not be in Romania forever. I hope that bed's still got my name on it at St Mungo's – I might have to use it one day soon."

"Of course, it has," Maggie laughed. "You'll love the sign I made - _specially reserved for Charlie Weasley, who found out dragons like the taste of gingers_. I'll even make sure it's got a decent pillow."

"You look after me so well," Charlie joked, holding a hand to his chest in mock affection.

"Only the best for my patients," Maggie said with a smile. After a moment's pause, she shook her head and cried, "Flat 1, Highgate Road!"

Before the green flames engulfed her, Charlie looked as though he was about to speak, but Maggie saw the green fire flash before her eyes before she heard what he had said. Guilt trickled through her stomach as she knew she would unlikely see him for a long time.

"It's for the best," She muttered to herself as she appeared in the flat. "You have Joe."

After hopping over to the couch and tiredly sat on the couch, leaning back and resting her head against the pillows. She sighed and closed her eyes, tiredness catching up with her at once. Knowing there was plenty to do, Maggie groaned before summoning her workbag and grabbing the bottle of Skel-Gro. Though it didn't work quite as well as she had hoped, her ankle no longer felt painful when she stood. There was still an angry bruise patchworked round the joint, but Maggie reasoned it was the better alternative.

After having a quick shower, washing away the dirt that covered her, Maggie quickly changed into clean clothes. Though she debated making a cup of tea first, she finally settled on going over to Joe's first – he would want to know that she was alright. She Flooed straight over, half expecting him to be passed out on the plush sofa, asleep but instead she found an empty flat.

"Hello?" She called out, gently padding through into the kitchen. "Joe? Are you home?"

A piece of paper left on the kitchen table caught Maggie's eye. With a frown, she picked it up, finding it addressed to her. Reading over the words, Maggie let out a huff.

_Hey, Maggie!_

_I've gone to a last-minute conference; Roger reckons it'll be good for me to put out some international connections! It's over in Berlin so I'll be gone for a few nights – I didn't want to owl and distract you from the World Cup!_

_I'll be back by Saturday and I've booked a table at that new Italian in Pimlico – my treat! _

_I hope you enjoyed the World Cup (hopefully Ireland won) and I'll see you on Saturday!_

_Love, Joe._

Maggie tried her best to hold back the groan, but it escaped her lips. Joe had probably written this before the match had even started. He'd probably have no idea about what had happened, especially if the Ministry was trying to control the situation. Rolling her eyes, she washed up the dirty plates that had been left on the side – typical Joe – before Flooing back to her own flat.

Tonks would still be at work and her dad would still be asleep which left Maggie to her own devices. A small meow caught her attention and Maggie could not help but smile as a fluffy grey ball of fur jumped onto the couch and curled up next to her.

"Hey, Bilbo," She smiled, stroking the cat behind his ear. "How have you been? You were worried about me, weren't you?"

The cat purred, rubbing his head against the witch's leg and Maggie let out a laugh.

"I know, it's just me and you, isn't it? But I'll tell you something; who needs company?"

The words tasted bitter on Maggie's tongue as she tried to kid herself into believing them. With a sigh, she picked up the television remote and began flicking through the channels.

All the while, she could not help but feel like she should have stopped at The Burrow.


	19. Chapter 19

**Author's Note - So it's been a while.**

**Hi guys, it's been a while, hasn't it? Words can not describe how sorry I am that it's been over a month since my last update! I am sorry for the delay, there's been a lot of stuff happening in my life right now, but who hasn't been affected by these awful times? Thank you to those who have reviewed, favourited or followed, we're up to 100 favourites!**

**First thing I'd like to say, I hope everyone is staying safe! I'm currently on week four of lockdown (I lost track of days ages ago) and I've made the discovery that home working is not for me! My heart goes out to anyone who is isolating by themselves - believe me, it's not a nice boat to be in and I can honestly say that I have struggled with this. It got to the point where I didn't even have the interest to write, which is partly why this chapter took a while!**

**Second thing - this is not the best chapter I've written. It starts off strong but you can see where my attention span dipped and I struggle to write any more. But here I am, and here it is so please, enjoy it and don't judge me too harshly. The final part I really struggled with as I'd just had the news that my family dog had to be put down and because of lockdown in the UK, I couldn't say goodbye. That one really hit me as he'd always been there for me so I tried to focus my attention on completing this chapter.**

**Rant's finally over, please go ahead and read on. Again, it's not my favourite but hopefully, it should be followed by something strong! Hope you all enjoy and don't forget to leave a review!**

* * *

_If you're offered a seat on a rocketship, don't ask what seat! Just get on._

_\- **Sheryl Sandberg**_

* * *

_September 1994_

Maggie could barely contain her excitement as she took her seat at the high table in the Great Hall. Her stomach did nervous somersaults as her fingers fiddled with the sleeve of her new Healer's robes. She still couldn't quite believe that she was back at Hogwarts – and as a facility member no less! A small smile crept to her lips as her eyes scanned the room, watching as the excited students filtered into the Great Hall and slowly took their seats.

The Great Hall was just as Maggie remembered it; golden plates and goblets polished to perfection lined the four house tables, lit by a thousand candles that floated beneath the velvety black ceiling that was dotted with glittering stars. The whole day had passed in a blur of excitement that Maggie could barely comprehend. It seemed so surreal to be sat back at Hogwarts – it seemed like a dream!

The atmosphere since the Quidditch World Cup had been tense – Tonks had been working long hours at the Ministry, trying to control the chaos that had erupted. The night before Maggie left for Hogwarts, Tonks came home exhausted, flopping onto the couch in defeat as Maggie made her a cup of tea in an attempt to cheer her up.

"It's absolutely bonkers," said Tonks as she slowly sipped her tea. "People keep sending in howlers, complaining about everything from the lack of security to damaged property."

"That's awful," Maggie said, frowning at the idea.

Tonks nodded tiredly. "And that bloody Skeeter woman isn't helping one bit. Her articles keep riling people up into a panic and the first place they complain to is the Auror office. How are we expected to cope with serious matters when we're too busy trying to calm down middle-aged cat ladies who are convinced that their neighbour is a Death Eater?"

The panic had extended to that morning when Tonks had unofficially been called in early, much to Maggie's surprise. The metamorphmagus offered profound apologies for having to leave early on the day Maggie started her new job but the blonde witch waved away the words.

"Don't worry, Nymph!" Maggie exclaimed as she pulled her friend into a hug. "You'll see me next weekend – I'm only going to Scotland, not bloody Sweden!"

Tonks laughed. "Maybe, but it won't be the same without you here."

After a few moments of silence, both girls savouring the time together, Tonks offered one last smile before heading off to deal with the latest drama. With a sigh, Maggie finished packing away the last of her belongings before placing Bilbo in his travel basket and locking the front door behind her. In her offer of employment letter, Professor Dumbledore had requested that Maggie apparate to Hogsmeade, where Professor McGonagall would escort the witch up to the castle. Part of Maggie had hoped that she would take the Hogwarts Express to get to the castle, but this option was more practical.

Maggie had found Professor McGonagall waiting outside the Three Broomsticks. A small smile crept to her lips when her eyes landed on the Transfiguration Professor – the woman had been Maggie's favourite teacher during her time at Hogwarts. Professor McGonagall offered Maggie a warm welcome, a hint of a smile on her lips, before escorting the girl up to the castle.

"Professor Dumbledore tells me that you may be interested in furthering your Transfiguration skills," said the Professor as the pair slowly walked up to the castle.

Maggie gave an avid nod. "Yes, Professor, I am. One of the courses I studied during my healing course was focused solely on transfiguration and it was by far the most interesting part of the course," Maggie paused for a moment, deliberating whether to voice her thoughts further. Professor McGonagall must have picked up on this, or spoken to the Headmaster further, as she turned to face Maggie with a curious expression.

"The Headmaster also mentioned that you may be interested in becoming an Animagus?"

Her cheeks flushing red with embarrassment, Maggie ducked her head to avoid Professor McGonagall's watchful eye. In her correspondence with Professor Dumbledore, while focusing mainly on her employment contract, the Headmaster mentioned how Maggie had exceeded in her transfiguration exams, both at Hogwarts and St Mungo's.

After a long-winded paragraph in which Maggie raved about transfiguration and how she was eager to learn more (Maggie may have slightly rambled on about human transfiguration and the chaos it caused when it went wrong), the Headmaster had suggested that Maggie use her time at Hogwarts to further her skills and suggested that the witch consult with Professor McGonagall.

She was silent for a moment, carefully choosing her next words, before nervously turning her head, meeting the Professor's gaze.

"It was a silly thought – a silly idea really," Maggie began to babble. "I thought it may have been a good idea, what with the number of transfigurations gone wrong I see. Help me get a better understanding of how it works. It's a silly idea, really -"

"Miss Ainsworth," Professor McGonagall quickly cut it, ending Maggie's nervous chatter. The young witch blushed as the Professor carefully studied Maggie's expression.

"I think you are more than capable of becoming an Animagus, Miss Ainsworth," said Professor McGonagall, after a moment of silence. A small smile pulled at her lips and Maggie felt her heart soar in joy at the witch's words.

After being shown to living quarters – Maggie was in awe at the idea of having her own apartments in the castle – Maggie quickly unpacked. Despite her excitement, a twinge of guilt ran through her as her thoughts flickered to Tonks by herself in their flat. Though the witch had waved away any objections, Maggie knew Tonks would feel lost being by herself – the witches had done everything together since they were eleven years old.

Maggie shook her head to rid her mind of the melancholic thoughts before turning her attention back to the Great Hall and the welcoming feast before her. The last of the Hogwarts students filtered into the hall – a few soaking wet and looking slightly disgruntled - and Maggie smiled as she spotted faces that she recognised, dotted throughout the crowd.

She noticed the Weasleys immediately – it was hard not to; the vividness of their hair colour drew Maggie's eye towards the Gryffindor table. Maggie noticed Harry and Hermione sat beside Ron and she smiled as the trio offered her a wave, though they looked slightly confused to why Maggie was there. Ginny smiled widely at Maggie when the red-headed witch noticed her presence and even the twins grinned when they saw her.

It was the Hufflepuff table however that drew Maggie's attention. She first noticed Louisa's younger brother, Ernie, sat amongst a group of fellow fourth-year Hufflepuffs. Maggie recognised a few of the older Hufflepuffs though could not put names to faces. She vaguely registered that the current seventh-year students would have only just started Hogwarts in her final year, but a familiar face caught her eye.

Maggie smiled when she met the gaze of another, recognising the handsome features and bright grey eyes. Cedric grinned up at Maggie, the surprise evident in his eyes. Maggie gave a small shrug, making a mental note to speak to him later. She could scarcely believe how much he had grown up - albeit, it had been four years since Maggie had last laid eyes upon him.

Her attention was drawn away from Cedric when the grand oak doors of the Great Hall swung open and Professor McGonagall stepped forward, leading a line of nervous-looking first-years to the top of the Hall. Maggie waited patiently as the sorting began, taking a moment to ponder the Sorting Hat's words. She clapped politely when a student was sorted and tried to remain unbiased, but every time a student was sorted into Hufflepuff, Maggie's applause was more enthusiastic.

Once the sorting had ended, Professor Dumbledore rose to his feet, his arms wide in welcome.

"I have only two words to say to you; tuck in," The Professor announced, his deep voice echoing throughout the hall.

With a smile, Maggie began piling her plate high with food – she reasoned this would be a one-off and she'd start eating healthily the following day. Nevertheless, the sticky toffee pudding caught Maggie's eye during dessert, and she could not help but help herself to a large portion.

During the feast, Madam Pomfrey asked Maggie about her time studying while Professor Sprout chatted about the Quidditch World Cup. Professor Sprout's words caused Maggie to falter slightly as her mind flashed back to the chaos she had witnessed. She quickly recovered, however, and thankfully neither Professor Sprout nor Madam Pomfrey noticed her stumble. For a moment, Maggie's thoughts flashed back to The Burrow and Charlie. Her cheeks reddened in embarrassment and her eyes flickered down as Maggie mentally scolded herself. Why would she even think of that? Her stomach did a somersault as her mind delved further and the memory of Charlie carrying her flashed through her eyes and Maggie's blush deepened.

Thankfully, she was distracted by Professor Dumbledore, who rose from his seat and lifted his hand for silence. The buzz of chatter ceased as all eyes were on the Headmaster. Maggie smiled fondly as Professor Dumbledore began to explain the notices for the year (Maggie noted that they were similar to those during her time at Hogwarts, though the full list of contraband items had risen - she wondered if the Weasley twins were responsible for that).

"It is also my painful duty to inform you that the inter-house Quidditch Cup will not take place this year," Professor Dumbledore announced, and a collective gasp echoed through the hall.

As the Headmaster continued with his speech, Maggie found herself smiling at the idea of the Tournament – while she would have loved to have seen it during her school years, Maggie reasoned it had worked in her favour to witness the tournament as a member of staff. Not only that, it gave her the opportunity to return to Hogwarts! Her eyes flickered over the students before her, many of whom still looked shocked at the prospect of Quidditch being cancelled but most watched Professor Dumbledore with eager eyes.

"-but I'm sure you will enjoy it immensely. I have the great pleasure of announcing that this year at Hogwarts -"

A deafening sound of thunder rumbled through the hall, followed by a vicious cloud of lightning flashing across the ceiling. The stormy night sky darkened just as the doors of the Great Hall flew opened. All eyes turned to the dark silhouette that limped forward, his weight supported by a large staff. Another crack of lightning illuminated the stranger's distorted face and the heads of every student, staff and ghost watched as he hobbled forward towards the front table. Maggie, however, smiled as she recognised the scarred face and electric blue eye, revolving in his eye socket and spinning around the room.

Professor Dumbledore seemed unaffected by the appearance of the mysterious stranger and instead smiled widely, offering an outstretched hand which Mad-Eye Moody quickly shock. The pair exchanged a few hushed whispers that were impossible to overhear before Mad-Eye stalked over to the faculty table and took a seat. His eye whizzed around the room, restless and cautious, as he slowly began to eat, occasionally sniffing his food warily.

"May I introduce our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Moody!" Professor Dumbledore announced brightly, unperturbed by the heavy atmosphere.

Maggie began to clap her hands but stopped when she realised that only Hagrid and Professor Dumbledore were the only ones applauding. Her cheeks blushed red as she stared down at her plate and internally, she hoped the reaction to her appointed role was more warmly received. As selfish as it sounded, part of Maggie was nervous about working at Hogwarts – after all, she was closer to some of the students in age than her fellow staff members!

"As I was saying, we are to have the honour of hosting a very exciting event over the coming months, an event that has not been held for over a century," Professor Dumbledore went on after an awkward moment of silence as he and Hagrid continued to applaud. "It is my very great pleasure to inform you that the Triwizard Tournament will be taking place at Hogwarts this year."

"You're JOKING!" said Fred Weasley, his hollering voice echoing throughout the hall. The Hall burst into laughter at his exclamation and Maggie attempted to hide the smile that pulled at her lips as she noticed the twins' amused expressions from their spot at the Gryffindor table.

"I am not joking, Mr Weasley, though now that you mention it, I did hear an excellent one over the summer about a troll, a hag and a leprechaun who go into a bar...Er but this is not the time...no..." Professor Dumbledore trailed off as Professor McGonagall cleared her throat loudly.

"Where was I? Ah yes, the Triwizard Tournament...well, some of you will not know what the tournament involves, so I hope those who do know will forgive me for giving a short explanation and allow their attention to wander freely."

As the headmaster began to explain what the tournament entailed, and of course, warning them of the dangers, Maggie's mind began to wander. She found herself thinking about Joe and wondering if he'd remembered to eat a proper dinner (she'd left a frozen lasagne to defrost on the countertop) or had opted to sustain his hunger through snacks and endless amounts of coffee. He'd developed an unhealthy habit of doing that, and because his cooking skills were something to be left desired, Maggie found herself meal prepping at least once a week so that Joe actually ate something substantial.

Joe, of course, tried to repay the favour by cooking for Maggie but the one and only time he had resulted in an extreme amount of black smoke flooding the kitchen and Maggie vanishing what was left of the blackened pie before Joe could see. Since then, Maggie tackled the cooking while Joe typically worked late.

It was easier for both of them that way.

As Maggie's eyes scanned over the hall, her mind flickering back to fifth-year and her first date with Joe, a flash of red hair pulled Maggie's thoughts in a different direction. From out of no-where, Maggie found herself wondering if Charlie was a good cook or whether he had managed to set fire to a bake-in-the oven-for-ten-minutes-pie. When the realisation dawned on Maggie just where her thoughts had wandered to, she blinked slowly and tried to shake away the thoughts, her mind begging for a distraction.

Luck, it would have it, was on her side.

"Due to the severity and alarmingly high death toll of the Tournament, we have appointed a new member of staff to aid Madam Pomfrey in whatever trials the tournament may bring," said Professor Dumbledore and Maggie felt the attention slowly drift towards herself. "It is my pleasure to introduce Healer Ainsworth, who will be assisting Madam Pomfrey throughout the tournament."

Professor Dumbledore gestured to Maggie, who shyly rose to her feet, her robes swishing around gracefully as a round of applause echoed around the hall. She smiled slightly as she noticed that the Hufflepuff table in particular, cheered the loudest – she wondered if that was Cedric's doing. A close second, however, was the Gryffindor table, and Maggie's smile widened as she noticed the Harry, Hermione and Weasleys' enthusiastic applause. Once again, her mind flickered to Charlie, but she quickly pushed away those thoughts.

As Professor Dumbledore dismissed the students, wishing them all a good night, Maggie's thoughts wandered back to the last time she sat in the Great Hall. A swell of pride burst through her chest as she thought about how far she had come since the last time she'd sat in this hall. Adam's words circled round her mind – '_We got this_'.

Maggie smiled; she was going to smash this.

* * *

The next morning came quickly enough and Maggie found herself strolling down the corridors of Hogwarts on her way to the Hospital Wing. She smiled to herself, closing her eyes and relishing in the feeling of being stood in the familiar halls. Maggie woke early that morning, eager to start the day. She had quickly dressed in her new healer robes, admiring how the white and red colours of Hogwarts healers were more complimentary than the putrid lime green of St Mungo's – honestly, who looked good in lime?

Maggie even took extra care with her hair that morning; usually, she tied it back into a messy bun, not wanting to face the unruly curls but today, Maggie took her time, managing to tame the curls into a sleek ponytail, a few stray curls framing her face. She blushed as she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror before she left – she wasn't heading to the runway, far from it! Though it gave Maggie a small boost of confidence, knowing that she looked smart on her first day, somehow it made her feel slightly less nervous.

Only slightly, however.

A part of Maggie knew that she should have gone to breakfast in the Great Hall before heading to the Hospital Wing, but Maggie's stomach was a bundle of nervous and the thought of food made her stomach somersault. She chided herself for the idea but nevertheless, her feet led her towards the Hospital Wing as she tried her hardest to ignore the butterflies in her tummy. Letting out a small sigh, Maggie picked up her pace, almost skipping down the corridor until a voice caught her attention.

"Aren't you a little old to be at school?"

Despite the words, Maggie smiled widely, immediately recognising the voice. She turned slowly, a playful grin stretching across her lips as her eyes flickered to the figure stood behind her, leaning against the wall with a crooked grin.

"I had to check that my legacy as prefect was being properly upheld," Maggie retorted, slowly folding her arms across her body as she eyed the figure before her. "Anyway, I've got a bone to pick with you – what's this I've heard about Hufflepuff losing the Quidditch House Cup? Tonks was livid when she found out."

Cedric chuckled, shaking his head. "She clearly hasn't seen Gryffindor's seeker; even she would be gobsmacked."

"And here I am thinking that Hufflepuff had the best seeker?" Maggie said playfully, raising an eyebrow. "Shocking, isn't it?"

"It's because we didn't have Tonks' hair-brained Quidditch planning – that was the real reason we ever won!"

Maggie smirked, her eyes glistening impishly. "I wouldn't say that too loud; she'll be on the first broom back if she catches wind of that."

"Well, you're back, surely it's time for a reunion?"

"Oh, come here, you dolt," Maggie exclaimed, holding her arms out warmly. "What happened to that little second-year who could barely transfigure a tea-cosy?"

"He grew up," Cedric smirked, pulling Maggie into a tight hug before chuckling. "Clearly I was the only one who did though," He said, pulling away and nodding at Maggie's petite form.

"Oi, watch it," Maggie replied, playfully swatting his arm, causing Cedric's chuckles to increase. "I may be small but I'm definitely wiser."

"Clearly. How did you manage to get back here? I mean, I know you're short, but you are taller than the average first-year..."

"Hey!" exclaimed Maggie, before she laughed. "I'll have you know; I was recommended for the job."

"So, I'll take it that St Mungo's is still standing after your tenure? Or are they using this opportunity to rebuild while you take your destructive talents elsewhere?"

Cedric guffawed loudly as he dodged the blow Maggie aimed towards his arm. Taking a step back – it was at least two paces for Maggie and her short legs – Cedric chuckled once more as he was out of Maggie's range.

"You know, most people say 'hello' or ask them how they've been if they haven't seen someone for four years!" Maggie pointed out, crossing her arms once more and staring at the Hufflepuff with a chiding glance.

"People are overrated," Cedric replied with a shrug. "But now that you mention it, how is everyone? Ernie isn't the most forthcoming when it comes to keeping up with people; the last thing he said was that Louisa had a gossip column in _Witch Weekly_, which frankly, was bound to happen eventually."

"That's exactly what we said," Maggie chuckled. "Everyone's doing okay; Kev's still working for the Ministry, but Muggle Relations has always been his thing, Tonks will always be Tonks, Eddie's stowed off with what happened at the World Cup and last I heard, Adam was doing quite well with American politics."

"Have those two admitted their feelings yet?" Cedric asked and Maggie turned to stare at him with a pointed look. He raised his hands in defence. "I just thought they'd make a good couple."

"So I'm not the only one who thought that!" Maggie exclaimed happily. "Not yet, I'm afraid, they both need to get their heads out of their arses and just get on with it already. But they're both as stubborn as the other, the pig-headed shits."

"And how're things with MacFarlane?" Cedric's words were quiet, almost cautious and Maggie's eyes darted away, looking at anything but Cedric's gaze.

"He's doing okay," She said slowly, choosing her words carefully. "The accident really knocked his confidence but he's working for the Ministry right now...He's really loving it in fact."

From the corner of her eye, Maggie saw Cedric nod slowly, his eyes twinkling in thought. Just as Cedric moved to speak, Maggie quickly interrupted him, having an unpleasant idea of where the conversation was headed.

"What about you, then?" She said quickly, turning her gaze back to the Hufflepuff. "Are you going to try for Hogwarts Champion?"

Cedric shrugged nonchalantly though the crooked grin that stretched across his features gave away his emotions.

"We'll see," He said evenly. "It's NEWT year so I need to focus on that, but I suppose it could be good practice..."

As Cedric's words trailed off, Maggie found herself stepping over to where the younger Hufflepuff stood. With a small smile, she pulled him into a one-armed hug and squeezed his shoulder gently.

"You'll be the best Champion Hogwarts could hope for," She said confidently. "You know what they say; Gryffindors are too reckless, Slytherins are too selfish and Ravenclaws too arrogant. Hufflepuffs are hard workers for a reason; while the rest go about galivanting and getting all the attention, it's us Hufflepuffs who come out on top eventually. Why? Because we work hard to get there, no matter how long it takes."

After pondering Maggie's words, Cedric gave a soft chuckle. "Been saving that for a while, have you?"

Maggie shrugged. "That's the product of five Hufflepuffs and too much Firewhiskey – turns out, you need a lot of uplifting speeches as an adult, even if they start at three o'clock in the morning, half-passed out on your friend's kitchen floor," Maggie paused for a moment. "Forget that last bit, I don't want to lose my job over something that clearly started off as an inspirational speech. Even if most of it came from Tonks."

"Tonks giving inspirational speeches?" Cedric said in mock disbelief, chuckling as he did. "How the adult world has changed you both."

"You'll find that out soon enough," Maggie said, giving the Hufflepuff a small push before walking down the corridor. "Anyway, this adult needs to get to work, I can't lose my job before I've even started; Tonks would never let me live it down."

With a final chuckle, Maggie turned on her heel and headed towards the Hospital Wing, leaving a chuckling Cedric in her wake. Maggie smiled at the sound; she'd missed the younger Hufflepuff over the years but after their conversation, it felt as though they had barely been apart. While it felt strange being at Hogwarts without her usual friends, seeing Cedric had somehow reassured a small part of her nerves and there was an added spring in her step as Maggie arrived at the Hospital Wing.

The Hospital Wing was just as Maggie remembered it. Madam Pomfrey quickly ushered the witch into her office, giving Maggie a cup of tea and a plate of toast before going over what her duties would be. With an eager smile, Maggie listened to the Healer, avidly taking notes and asking further questions. The matron patiently answered them, explaining that the pair would most likely not be busy on the first day, instead explaining that for the first few weeks of term, it would be Maggie's responsibility to brew the various potions needed for the medicine cabinet.

True to the Matron's word, Maggie found herself doing odd jobs round the Hospital Wing for the first week of term. As important as it was – Maggie swore Hogwarts would never run out of bandages after she spent a solid three hours wrapping more – the work was very monotone and took Maggie back to her early days at St Mungo's, where trainee Healers were auxiliary more than anything.

The only positive was that Madam Pomfrey taught Maggie how to brew different potion remedies, some of which Maggie had never heard of. However, that also meant that she had to brave the dungeons, as most of the ingredients were stored in the Potions storeroom, which also meant that Maggie had to face seeing her old professor, an idea that she was not thrilled by.

So when her first patient arrived in the Hospital Wing on the second day of term, Maggie was somewhat surprised. Madam Pomfrey was sat in her office, her attention fixated on the masses of paperwork before her, and signalled for Maggie to go through, giving the young Healer an encouraging nod. Her stomach was fluttering with nerves as Maggie stepped into the main chamber, a nervous smile pulling at her lips.

It didn't last long.

Maggie had put up with some...problematic patients in the past. From old ladies who would complain over the tiniest of issues, to patients who would gloss over their symptoms in an attempt to appear tough, to grown men who would whine about the hospital food (though Maggie would be the first to admit, hospital food was always awful). Maggie had certainly seen some sights during her time at St Mungo's and dealt with some truly annoying patients.

But none were a patch upon the three Slytherin students that sulked into the Hospital Wing that afternoon.

The following half an hour was a testament to Maggie's patience and even then, the witch stumbled through. She recognised the first student and her stomach jittered when she realised who it was. In the past, Tonks had liked to rant about the injustice of her extended family, and while she had never formally met them, Tonks had pointed them out to Maggie in the past.

"Biggest bunch of Pure-Blood arseholes you've ever met," Tonks had said one day, as the witches were in Diagon Alley. "Supercilious maniacs, the lot of them. They're obsessed with it; even tried to marry Mum off to one of her cousins just to keep the bloodline _pure_," She spat out the word, grimacing as she did. "She ran away to marry Dad, you know, got disowned for it. Personally, I think she's better off without them but I know, deep down, she misses her sisters..."

Tonks trailed off, staring at the woman across the shop. Maggie frowned at the witch, her eyebrows knitting together in confusion as she followed Tonks' gaze. Her eyes landed upon a tall woman, blonde-haired and picturesque, or at least, she would have been but the sneer that stretched across her lips distorted the image. Maggie's frown deepened as her eyes flickered to the boy stood beside the woman. It was clear that he was her son; they shared the same white-blonde hair and contemptuous glare.

Though he was a few years older, Maggie recognised Draco Malfoy in an instant and her stomach dropped. He hadn't changed; his haughty, pointed features still sneered at his surroundings though Maggie did not miss the almost dazed look that lingered in his eyes.

The two Slytherins that flanked Malfoy could almost be described as his bodyguards. Maggie raised an eyebrow in question as she studied the pair; while one was slightly taller than the other, they were both large and intimidating and overall, rather gorilla-like in stature. Maggie managed to stifle her giggles – it would have been very unprofessional to laugh at a student before she'd even done any proper work.

"What seems to be the problem?" Maggie asked brightly, hoping a smile might mask her nerves.

Malfoy mumbled slowly, his eyes glaring at the flagstone floor, and Maggie's frown deepened at the incoherent words. Her eyes flickered to the two figures behind the Slytherin, in hopes that they would offer some explanation, but they stared dumbly back at Maggie.

"Well, I'm not a Seer or a Legilimens so I can't help you until you tell me what happened," said Maggie, a small smile twitching at her lips. While she had hoped that her humour would soften the icy atmosphere, it was clear that it would not.

"That fool of a Professor Moody," Malfoy said malevolently, the scorn dripping from his words. "Wait until my father hears about this..."

"What did Professor Moody do?" Maggie asked impatiently, cutting of the student's rant. It took everything she had not to roll her eyes at his words.

Malfoy's glare suddenly landed upon Maggie, his cold eyes burning like ice. He remained silent, glaring at the witch as though Moody's actions were her fault. Maggie remained composed however, staring back coolly as she waited for an answer. In the end, one of the hulking students answered her question, though the grunt was intelligible.

At his words, Maggie gave a small nod and motioned towards an empty hospital bed, turning away to hide the laughter that built up inside her. It took her a moment to compose herself, as the image of a white ferret levitating around the courtyard filled her mind. Maggie shook her head, hoping to also shake away the thought before busying herself with her patient.

"Drink this," She instructed, handing Malfoy a glowing yellow concoction. "Are you experiencing any nausea? Headache, maybe?"

Malfoy shook his head, glaring down stubbornly at the sheets as he refused to speak. Maggie rolled her eyes at his silence – it was worse being stuck on the Artifact Accidents ward on Christmas Day! Even then, patients would let the odd laugh slip, but Draco Malfoy appeared to have inherited the stubborn gene from the Black family, one which Tonks also shared.

Maggie grabbed her wand and muttered a few spells, checking Malfoy's vitals and blood pressure. She waved her wand, checking his heart rate and frowned when she noticed it was slightly higher than she would have liked it though she chalked it down to the human-animal transfiguration.

"Right then, you're free to go," Maggie said, vanishing the empty potion bottles that sat on the bedside table. "If you start feeling lightheaded or get the urge to start burrowing – as daft as it sounds – come back straight away."

With a final nod, Maggie turned on her heel to leave, but was stopped by the one of the hulking Slytherins. She had learnt their names – Crabbe and Goyle – but could not tell either apart. It was hard for Maggie to understand his troll-like grunt, but Maggie managed to make out the word 'Flobberworm'. He clutched his finger and Maggie put two and two together.

"You do realise that Flobberworms don't have teeth, right?" Maggie said after a moment of stunned silence, staring at the student in disbelief. Her disbelief slowly turned into anger at his dumbfounded expression as she realised that it was an attempt to cause bother with the teacher. "Flobberworms _physically_ can't bite you. And if it bothered you so much, why didn't you come here straight from your lesson?"

Maggie then turned on her heel and stormed into the Matron's office, not caring to look back at the three gaping students she left in her wake. Madam Pomfrey offered Maggie a kind smile as the witch took a seat, sighing as she did.

"When I woke up this morning, I didn't expect my first patient to be a human-ferret transfiguration," Maggie said as she pulled out the relevant paperwork. "Even more so, I didn't expect a member of staff to be responsible!"

Madam Pomfrey gave a small nod. "Expect the unexpected, dear. Especially here; one day it'll be the aftermath of two students duelling, the next could be someone's sprouted a pair of antlers."

Maggie chuckled as she poured herself a cup of tea. "We must be mad to work here. Helga help us for the Triwizard Tournament; Merlin only knows what madness that will bring!"


End file.
